afci 


I 


journal  of  Researches  into  tbe  natural  fiistory 

and  Geology  of  tbe  countries  visited  during 

tbe  Uoyage  of  fi.m.s.  Beagle  Round 

tbe  World,  under  tbe  Command 

of  gapt  f  itz  Roy,  R.  n. 


By 
Cbarles  Darwin,  m.Jf.,  T.R.S. 

Hutbor  of  Origin  of  Species,  etc. 


new  edition 


new  York 
D.  flppltton  and  Company 


Authorized  Edition. 


TO 

CHAELES  LYELL,  ESQ.,  F.B.S., 

SECOND  EDITION  IS  DEDICATED  WITH  GRATEFUL  PLEASURE,  AS 
AN  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  THAT  THE  CHIEF  PART  OF  WHATEVER 
SCIENTIFIC  MERIT  THIS  JOURNAL  AND  THE  OTHER  WORKS  OF  THE 
AUTHOR  MAY  POSSESS,  HAS  BEEN  DERIVED  FROM  STUDYING  THE 
WELL-KNOWN  AND  ADMIRABLE 

PRINCIPLES  OF  GEOLOGY. 


2033576 


PREFACE. 


J  HAVE  stated  in  the  preface  to  the  first  Edition  of  this  work, 
and  in  the  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the  Beagle,  that  it  was  ir. 
consequence  of  a  wish  expressed  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  of  having 
some  scientific  person  on  board,  accompanied  by  an  offer  from 
him  of  giving  up  part  of  his  own  accommodations,  that  I  volun- 
teered my  services,  which  received,  through  the  kindness  of  the 
hydrographer,  Captain  Beaufort,  the  sanction  of  the  Lords  of 
the  Admiralty.  As  I  feel  that  the  opportunities  which  I  en- 
joyed of  studying  the  Natural  History  of  the  different  countries 
we  visited,  have  been  wholly  dne  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  I  hope  I 
may  here  be  permitted  to  repeat  my  expression  of  gratitude 
to  him  ;  and  to  add  that,  during  the  five  years  we  were  together, 
I  received  from  him  the  most  cordial  friendship  and  steady 
assistance.  Both  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  to  all  the  Officers  of 
the  Beagle  *  I  shall  ever  feel  most  thankful  for  the  undeviating 
kindness  with  which  I  was  treated  during  our  long  voyage. 

This  volume  contains,  in  the  form  of  a  Journal,  a  history  of 
our  voyage,  and  a  sketch  of  those  observations  in  Natural 
History  and  Geology,  which  I  think  will  possess  some  interest 
for  the  general  reader.  I  have  in  this  edition  largely  condensed 
and  corrected  some  parts,  and  have  added  a  little  to  others,  in 
order  to  render  the  volume  more  fitted  for  popular  reading ;  but 
I  trust  that  naturalists  will  remember,  that  they  must  refer  for 
details  to  the  larger  publications,  which  comprise  the  scientific 
results  of  the  Expedition.  The  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of 
the  Beagle  includes  an  account  of  the  Fossil  Mammalia,  by 
Professor  Owen ;  of  the  Living  Mammalia,  by  Mr.  Water- 
house  ;  of  the  Birds,  by  Mr.  Gould ;  of  the  Fish,  by  the 
Rev.  L.  Jenyns ;  and  of  the  Reptiles,  by  Mr.  Bell.  I  have 
appended  to  the  descriptions  of  each  species  an  account  of  its 
habits  and  range.  These  works,  which  I  owe  to  the  high 

*  I  must  take  this  opportunity  of  returning  my  sincere  thanks  to  Mr.  Bynoe, 
the  surgeon  of  the  Beagle,  for  his  very  kind  attention  to  me  when  I  was  ill 
»t  Valuaraiso. 


PREFACE. 


talents  and  disinterested  zeal  of  the  above  distinguished  authors, 
could  not  have  been  undertaken,  had  it  not  been  for  the  libe- 
rality of  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  Her  Majesty's  Treasury, 
who,  through  the  representation  of  the  Right  Honourable  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  have  been  pleased  to  grant  a  sum 
of  one  tnousand  pounds  towards  defraying  part  of  the  expenses 
of  publication. 

I  have  myself  published  separate  volumes  on  the  '  Structure 
and  Distribution  of  Coral  Reefs ;'  on  the  '  Volcanic  Islands 
visited  during  the  Voyage  of  the  Beagle ;'  and  on  the  '  Geology 
of  South  America.'  The  sixth  volume  of  the  '  Geological  Trans- 
actions '  contains  two  papers  of  mine  on  the  Erratic  Boulders 
and  Volcanic  Phenomena  of  South  America.  Messrs.  Water- 
house,  Walker,  Newman,  and  White,  have  published  several 
able  papers  on  the  Insects  which  were  collected,  and  I  trust  that 
many  others  will  hereafter  follow.  The  plants  from  the  southern 
parts  of  America  will  be  given  by  Dr.  J.  Hooker,  in  his  great 
work  on  the  Botany  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere.  The  Flora  of 
the  Galapagos  Archipelago  is  the  subject  of  a  separate  memoir 
by  him,  in  the  '  Linnean  Transactions.'  The  Reverend  Professor 
Henslow  has  published  a  list  of  the  plants  collected  by  me  at 
the  Keeling  Islands  ;  and  the  Reverend  J.  M.  Berkeley  has  de- 
scribed my  cryptogamic  plants. 

I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  acknowledging  the  great  assist- 
ance which  I  have  received  from  several  other  naturalists,  in  the 
course  of  this  and  my  other  works  ;  but  I  must  be  her«  allowed 
to  return  my  most  sincere  thanks  to  the  Reverend  Professor 
Henslow,  who,  when  I  was  an  under-graduate  at  Cambridge, 
was  one  chief  means  of  giving  me  a  taste  for  Natural  History, 
— who,  during  my  absence,  took  charge  of  the  collections  I  sent 
home,  and  by  his  correspondence  directed  my  endeavours, — and 
who,  since  my  return,  has  constantly  rendered  me  every  assist- 
ance which  the  kindest  friend  could  offer. 


Down,  Bromley,  Kent 
June.  1845. 


PREFACE.  vii 


POSTSCRIPT. 


I  TAKE  the  opportunity  of  a  new  edition  of  my  Journal  to 
correct  a  few  errors.  At  page  83  I  have  stated  that  the 
majority  of  the  shells  which  were  embedded  with  the  extinct 
mammals  at  Punta  Alta,  in  Bahia  Blanca,  were  still  living 
species.  These  shells  have  since  been  examined  (see  '  Geological 
Observations  in  South  America,'  p.  83)  by  M.  Alcide  d'Orbigny, 
and  he  pronounces  them  all  to  be  recent.  M.  Aug.  Bravard  has 
lately  described,  in  a  Spanish  work  (*  Observaciones  Geologicas,' 
1857),  this  district,  and  he  believes  that  the  bones  of  the  extinct 
mammals  were  washed  out  of  the  underlying  Pampean  deposit, 
and  subsequently  became  embedded  with  the  still  existing  shells  ; 
but  I  am  not  convinced  by  his  remarks.  M.  Bravard  believes 
that  the  whole  enormous  Pampean  deposit  is  a  sub-aerial  forma- 
tion, like  sand-dunes:  this  seems  to  me  to  be  an  untenable 
doctrine. 

At  page  378  I  give  a  list  of  the  birds  inhabiting  the  Galapagos 
Archipelago.  The  progress  of  research  has  shown  that  some  of 
these  birds,  which  were  then  thought  to  be  confined  to  the  islands, 
occur  on  the  American  continent.  The  eminent  ornithologist, 
Mr.  Sclater,  informs  me  that  this  is  the  case  with  the  Strix  puncta- 
tissima  and  Pyrocephalus  nanus ;  and  probably  with  the  Otus 
galapagoensis  and  Zenaida  galapagoensis :  so  that  the  number  of 
endemic  birds  is  reduced  to  twenty-three,  or  probably  to  twenty- 
one.  Mr.  Sclater  thinks  that  one  or  two  of  these  endemic  forms 
should  be  ranked  rather  as  varieties  than  species,  which  always 
seemed  to  me  probable. 

The  snake  mentioned  at  page  381,  as  being,  on  the  authority 
of  M.  Bibron,  the  same  with  a  Chilian  species,  is  stated  by  Dr. 
Gunter  (Zcolog.  Soc.,  Jan.  24th,  1859)  to  be  a  peculiar  specks, 
not  known  to  inhabit  any  other  country. 

Ft*.  1st  1860. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Porto  Praya  — Ribeira  Grande  —  Atmospheric 
imst  iviih  Infusoria — Habits  of  a  Sea-slug  and 
Cuttib-fish— St.  Paul's  Rocks,  non  volcanic— 
Singular  incrustations— Insects  the  first  Colo- 
nistfl  of  Islands— Fernando  Noronha— Bahia 
— Burnished  Rocks-Habits  of  a  Diodon— 
Pel-igic  Conferva?  and  Infusoria— Causes  of 
discoloured  Sea Page  1 

CHAPTER  IL 
Rio  de  Janeiro — Excursion  north  of  Cape  Frio 

—  Great    Evaporation  —  Slavery  —  Botofogo 
Bay— Terrestrial   Planari.-E— Clouds   on    the 
Corcovado— Heavy   Rain — Musical    Frogs — 
Phosphorescent  Insects  —  Elater,  springing 
powers  of— Blue   Haze— Noise  made   by  a 
Butterfly—  Entomology— Ants- Wasp  kill- 
ing a  Spider— Parasitical  Spider— Artifices  of 
an  Epeira— Gregarious  Spider— Spider  with 
an  uuaynimi'trical  Web 19 

CHAPTER  III. 

Monte  Video-Maldonado-Excursion  to  R. 
Polanco-Lazo  and  Bolas—  Partridges—  Ab- 
sence of  Trees — Deer — Capybara,  or  River 
Hog  —  Tucutuco  —  Molotlirus,  cuckoo-like 
habits — Tyrant  Flycatcher— Mocking-bird — 
Carrion  Hawks — Tubes  formed  by  Lightning 
—House  struck 39 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Rio  Negro— Estancias  attacked  by  the  Indians 
—Salt  Lakes— Flamingoes— R.  Negro  to  R. 
G)lorado — Sacred  Tree— Patasonian  Hare — 
Indian  Families— General  Rosas— Proceed  to 
Bahia  Blanca— Sand  Dunes — Negro  Lieuto- 
nant— Bahia  Blanca— Saline  Incrustations  - 
Punta  Alta— fcjrillo 63 

CHAPTER  V. 

3ahia  Blanca— Geology— Numerous  gigantic 
extinct  Quadrupeds  Recent  Extinction — 
Longevity  of  Species— Lar^e  Animals  do  not 
require  a  luxuriant  Vegetarion — Southern 
Africa  — Siberian  Fossils— Two  Species  of 
Ostrich—  Habits  of  Oven-bird— Aimadilloes 

—  Venomous  Snake,  Toad,  Lizard— Hyberna- 
tion  of  Animals— Habits  of  Sea-Pen—Indian 
Wars  and  Massacres— Arrow-head — Antiqua- 
rian Relic ;«i 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Set  out  for  Buenos  Ayres — Rio  Sauce— Sierra 
Ventana  — Third  Posta  —  Driving  Horses  — 
Bolas — Partridges  and  Foxes— Features  of  th" 
Country — Long-legged  Plover — Teru-tero— 
Hailstorm— Natural  Enclosures  in  the  Sierra 
Tapalguen— Flesh  of  Puma— Meat  Diet— 
Guardia  del  Monte— Eftects  of  Cattle  on  the 
Vegetation — Cardoon—  Buenos  Ayres — Cor- 
ml  where  Cattle  are  slaughtered 106 


gul 
She 


CHAPTER  VIL 

Excursion  to  St.  Fe—  Thistle-Beds—  Habits  01 
the  Bizcacha—  Little  Owl—  Saline  Streams- 
Level  Plains—  Mastodon—  St.  Fe—  Change  in 
Landscape—  Geology—  Tooth  of  extinct  Horse 
—Relation  of  the  Fossil  and  recentQuadrupeds 
of  North  and  South  America—  Effects  of  a 
great  Drought  —  Parana  —  Habits  of  the  Jaguar 

—  Sciiwor-beak  —  King-fisher,     Parrot,    and 
Scissor-tail  —  Revolution  —  Buenos  Ayres  — 
State  of  Government  .................  123 

CHAPTER  VIU. 

Excursion  to  Colonia  del  Sacramiento  —  Value 
of  an  Estancia—  Cattle,  how  counted—  Sin- 
lar Breed  of  Oxen—  Perforated  Pebbles— 
pherd-Dogs—Horses  broken-in,  Gauchot 
Riding  —  Character  of  Inhabitants—  Rio  Plata 

—  Flocks  of  Butterfl  es  —  Aeronaut  Spiders  — 
Phosphorescence  of  the  Sea—  Port  Desire— 
Guanaco—  Port  St.  Julian—  Geology  of  Pata- 
gonia—Fossil gigantic  Animal  —  Types  ol 
Organization  constant  —  Change  in  the  Zoo- 
logy of  America-Causes  of  Extinction  .  142 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SanU  Cruz—  Expedition  up  the  River—  Indians 
—Immense  Streams  of  Basaltic  Lava—  Frag- 
ments not  transported  by  the  River  —  Exca- 
vation of  the  Valley—  Condor,  habits  of— 
Cordillera—  Erratic  Boulders  of  great  size- 
Indian  Relics—  Return  to  the  Ship—  Falk- 
land Islands—  Wild  Horses,  Cattle,  Rabbits- 
Wrolf-like  Fox—  Fire  made  of  Bones—  Man- 
ner  of   hunting  Wild  Cattle  —  Geology  — 
Streams  of    Stones  —  Scenes  of   Violence  — 
Penguin—  Geese—  Eggs  of  Doris  -Compound 
Animals  .............  ................  177 

CHAPTER  X. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  first  arrival  —  Good  Success 
Bav  —  An  Account  of  the  Fuegians  on  board 

—  Interview  with  the  Savages—  Scenery  of 
the  Forests—  Cape  Horn—  Wigwam  Cove— 
Miserable  Condition  of  the  Savages  —  Famine* 

—  Cannibals  —  Matricide—  Religious  Feelings 

—  Great  Gale—  Beagle  Channel  —  Ponsonby 
Sound—  Build  Wigwams  and  settle  the  Fue- 
gians— Bifurcation  of  the  Beagle  Channel- 
Glaciers—  Return  to  the  Ship—  Second  Visit 
in  the  Ship  to  the  Settlement—  Equality  of 
Condition  amongst  the  Native*  .......  204 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Strait  of  Magellan  —  Port  Famine  —  Ascent  ol 
Mount  Tarn  —  Forests—  Edible  Fungus- 
Zoology—  Great  Sea-weed-Leave  Tierra  del 
Fuego—  Climate  —  Fruit  Tiees  and  Produc- 
tions of  the  Southern  Coasts—  Height  of 
Snow-line  on  the  CordiL>ra  —  Descent  ol 
Glaciers  to  the  Sea  —  Icebergs  formed—  Trans- 
portal  of  Boulders  —  Climate  and  Produc- 
tions of  the  Antarctic  Islands  —  Preservation 
of  Frozen  Carcasses—  Recapitulation  .  .  .  2&I 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

Valparaiso— Excursion  to  the  Foot  of  the  Andes 
— Structure  of  the  Land— Ascend  the  Bell  of 
Quillota— Shattered  Masses  of  Greenstone— 
Immense  Valley* — Mines — State  cf  Miners 
—Santiago — Hot-baths  of  Cauquenes — Gold- 
mines— Grinding-mills — Perforated  Stones 
—Habits  of  the  Puma— El  Turco  and  Tapa- 
colo— Humming-birds 2!>2 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Chiloe  — General  Aspect— Boat  Excursion- 
Native  Indians -Castro — Tame  Fox— Ascend 
San  Pedro— Chonos  Archipelago -Peninsula 
of  Tres  Monies  —  Granit.c  Range  —  Boat- 
wrecked  Sailors— Low's  Harbour— Wild  Po- 
tato —  Formation  of  Peat  —  Myopotamus, 
Otter  and  Mice— Cheucau  and  Barking-bird 
— Opetiorhynchus — Singular  Character  of  Or- 
nithology—Petrels 273 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Ban  Carlos,  Chiloe — Osorno  in  eruption,  rrm- 
temporaneously  with  Aconcagua  and  Cose- 
gnina — Ride  to"  Cucao — Impenetrable  forests 
— Valdivia— Indians— Earthquake — Concep- 
tion—Great earthquake— Rocks  fissured— 
Appearance  of  the  former  towns— The  sea 
black  and  boiling— Direction  of  the  vibra- 
tions—Stones twisted  round— Great  Wave — 
Permanent  elevation  of  the  land — Area  of 
volcanic  phenomena — The  connexion  be- 
tween the  elevatorv  and  eruptive  forces — 
Cause  of  earthquakes — Slow  elevation  of 
Mountain-chains 291 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Valoaraiso— Portillo  pass— Sagacity  of  mules- 
Mountain  torrents— Mines,  how  discovered 
—  Proofs  of  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  Cor- 
dillera—ETect  of  snow  on  rocks  -Geological 
structure  of  the  two  main  ranges — Their  dis- 
tinct origin  and  upheaval — Great  subsidence 
—Red  snow— Winds— Pinnacles  of  <inow— 
Dry  and  clear  atmosphere — Electricity— 
Pampas-Zoology  of  the  opposite  sides  of  "the 
Andes —  Locusts  —  Great  bugs— Mendoza — 
TJspallata  Pass— Silicified  trees  buried  as 
they  grew— Incas  Bridge— Badness  of  the 
passes  exaggerated  —  Cumbre  —  Casuchas— 
Valparaiso 313 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Cuact-road  to  Coquimbo — Great  loads  carried 
by  the  miners — Coquimbo — Earthquake— 
Step-formed  terraces — Absence  of  recent  de- 
posits— Contemporaneousness  of  the  Tertiary 
formations— Excursion  up  the  valley — Road 
to  Guasco— Deserts— Valley  of  Copiapo— 
Rain  and  earthquakes — Hydrophobia— The 
Dcspoblado— Indian  Ruins— IVobable  change 
of  climate — River-bed  arched  by  an  earth- 
quake— Cold  gales  of  wind — Noises  from  a 
bill  —  Iquique  —  Salt  alluvium  —  Nitrate  of 
Soda — Lima— Unhealthy  country — Ruins  of 
Callao,  overthrown  by  an  earthquake — Recent 
Hibsidence— Elevated  shells  on  San  Lorenzo, 
tbeir  decomposition -Plain  with  eml>edded 
ebells  and  fragments  of  pottery— Antiquitv 
crfthe  Indian  Race :m 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
Galapagos  Archipelago — The  whole  group  vol- 
canic— Number  of  craters — Leafless  buthes— 
Colony  at  Charles  Island— James  Island— 
Salt-lake  in  crater— Natural  History  of  the 
group— Ornithology,  curious  finches— Rep- 
tiles—Great  tortoises,  habits  of— Marine  li- 
zard, feeds  on  sea-weed — Terrestrial  li/ard, 
burrowing  habits,  herbivorous—  Importance 
of  reptiles  in  the  Archipelago — Fish,  shells, 
insects  —  Botany — American  type  of  organi- 
sation— Differences  in  the  species  or  races  on 
different  islands — Tameness  of  the  birds- 
Fear  of  man,  an  acquired  instinct 372 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Pass  through  the  Low  Archipelago — Tahiti — 
Aspect— Vegetation  on  the  Mountains — View 
of  Eimeo— Excursion  into  the  Interior— Pro- 
found Ravines— Succession  of  Waterfalls- 
Number  of  wild  useful  Plants— Temperance 
of  the  Inhabitants— Their  moral  state— Par- 
liament convened — New  Zealand — Bay  of 
Islands — Hippahs — Excursion  to  Waimate — 
Missionary  Establishment— English  Weeds 
now  run  wil-1— Waiomio—  Funeral  of  a  New 
Zealand  Woman — Sail  for  Australia....  408 
CHAPTER  XIX. 

Sydney — Excursion  to  Bathurst — Aspect  of  the 
Woods— Party  of  Natives — Gradual  extinc- 
tion of  the  Aborigines— Infection  generated 
by  associated  men  in  health— Blue  Moun- 
tains—View of  the  grand  gulf-like  Valleys— 
Their  origin  and  formation — Bathurst,  gene- 
ral civility  of  the  lower  orders-State  of  So- 
ciety—Van Diemen's  Land— Hobart  Town 
—Aborigines  all  banished— Mount  Welling- 
ton—King George's  Sound— Cheerless  aspect 
of  the  Country — Bald  Head,  calcareous  casts 
of  branches  of  trees — Party  of  Natives— Leave 

Australia....   431 

CHAPTEK  XX. 

Keeling  Island— Singular  appearance— Scanty 
Flora — Transport  of  Seeds-  Birds  and  Insects 
—  Ebbing  and  flowing  Wells  —  Fields  ol 
dead  Coral — Stones  transported  in  the  roots 
of  trees — Great  Crab  —  Stinging  Corals  — 
Coral-eating  Fish  -  Coral  Formations —  La- 
goon Islands,  or  Atolls— Depth  at  which  reef- 
building  Corals  can  live— Vast  Areas  inter- 
spersed with  low  Coral  Islands— Subsidence 
of  their  foundations — Barrier  Reefs— Fring 
ing  Keefs  -  Conversion  of  Fringing  Reefs  into 
Barrier  Reefs,  and  into  Atolls— Evidence  n. 
changes  in  Level — Breaches  in  Barrier  Reefs 
— Maldiva  Atolls;  their  peculiar  structure- 
Dead  and  submerged  Reefs— Areas  of  subsi- 
dence and  elevation — Distribution  of  Volcano* 
— Subs.dence  slow,  and  vast  in  amount.. 432 
CHAPTER  XXI. 

Mauritius,  beautiful  appearance  of — Great  cra- 
terirorm  ring  of  Mountains— Hind.xM— vSt 
Helena— History  of  the  changes  in  the  vege- 
tation— Cause  of  the  extinction  of  land-shelle 
— Ascension— Variation  in  the  imported  ratj 
—Volcanic  Bombs— Beds  of  infusoria  -Baliia 
—Brazil — Splendour  of  tropical  scenery— Per- 
namliuco — Singular  Reef— Slavery— Return 
to  England — Retrospect  on  our  voyage..  4S3 


JOURNAL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Portt  Praya — Ribeira  Grande — Atmospheric  Dust  with  Infusoria— Habits 
of  a  Sea-slug  and  Cuttle-fish— St.  Pauls  Rocks,  non  volcanic— Singular 
Incrustations— Insects  the  first  Colonists  of  Islands — Fernando  Noronha 
— Bahia — Burnished  Rocks — Habits  of  a  Diodon — Pelagic  Confervae  and 
Infusoria — Causes  of  discoloured  Sea. 

ST.  JAGO — CAPE  DE  VERD  ISLANDS. 

AFTER  having  been  twice  driven  back  by  heavy  south-western 
gales,  Her  Majesty's  ship  Beagle,  a  ten-gun  brig,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  R.N.,  sailed  from  Devonport  on  the 
27th  of  December,  1831.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  to 
complete  the  survey  of  Patagonia  and  Tierra  del  Fuego,  com- 
menced under  Captain  King  in  1826  to  1830 — to  survey  the 
shores  of  Chile,  Peru,  and  of  some  islands  in  the  Pacific — and 
to  carry  a  chain  of  chronometrical  measurements  round  the 
World.  On  the  6th  of  January  we  reached  Teneriffe,  but  were 
prevented  landing,  by  fears  of  our  bringing  the  cholera :  the 
next  morning  we  saw  the  sun  rise  behind  the  rugged  outline  of 
the  Grand  Canary  island,  and  suddenly  illumine  the  Peak  of 
Teneriffe,  whilst  the  lower  parts  were  veiled  in  fleecy  clouds. 
This  was  the  first  of  many  delightful  days  never  to  be  forgotten. 
On  the  16th  of  January,  1832,  we  anchored  at  Porto  Praya,  in 
St.  Jago,  the  chief  island  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  archipelago. 

The  neighbourhood  of  Porto  Praya,  viewed  from  the  sea, 
wears  a  desolate  aspect.  The  volcanic  fires  of  a  past  age,  and 
the  scorching  heat  of  a  tropical  sun,  have  in  most  places  rendered 
the  soil  unfit  for  vegetation.  The  country  rises  in  successivf 


2  ST.   JAGO— CAPE   DE   VERB   ISLANDS.          [CHAP!  i. 

steps  of  table-land,  interspersed  with  some  truncate  conical  hills, 
and  the  horizon  is  bounded  by  an  irregular  chain  of  more  lofty 
mountains.  The  scene,  as  beheld  through  the  hazy  atmosphere 
of  this  climate,  is  one  of  great  interest ;  if,  indeed,  a  person, 
fresh  from  sea,  and  who  has  just  walked,  for  the  first  time,  in  a 
grove  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  can  be  a  judge  of  anything  but  his  own 
happiness.  Tha  island  would  generally  be  considered  as  very 
uninteresting ;  but  to  any  one  accustomed  only  to  an  English 
landscape,  the  novel  aspect  of  an  utterly  sterile  land  possesses 
a  grandeur  which  more  vegetation  might  spoil.  A  single  green 
leaf  can  scarcely  be  discovered  over  wide  tracts  of  the  lava  plains  ; 
yet  flocks  of  goats,  together  with  a  few  cows,  contrive  to  exist. 
It  rains  very  seldom,  but  during  a  short  portion  of  the  year 
heavy  torrents  fall,  and  immediately  afterwards  a  light  vegeta- 
tion springs  out  of  every  crevice.  This  soon  withers ;  and  upon 
such  naturally  formed  hay  the  animals  live.  It  had  not  now 
rained  for  an  entire  year.  When  the  island  was  discovered,  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  Porto  Praya  was  clothed  with  trees,* 
the  reckless  destruction  of  which  has  caused  here,  as  at  St.  Helena, 
and  at  some  of*  the  Canary  islands,  almost  entire  sterility.  The 
broad,  flat-bottomed  valleys,  many  of  which  serve  during  a  few 
days  only  in  the  season  as  watercourses,  are  clothed  with 
thickets  of  leafless  bushes.  Few  living  creatures  inhabit  these 
valleys.  The  commonest  bird  is  a  kingfisher  (Dacelo  lagoensis), 
which  tamely  sits  on  the  branches  of  the  castor-oil  plant,  and 
thence  darts  on  grasshoppers  and  lizards.  It  is  brightly  coloured, 
but  not  so  beautiful  as  the  European  species :  in  its  flight,  man- 
ners, and  place  of  habitation,  which  is  generally  in  the  driest 
valley,  there  is  also  a  wide  difference. 

One  day,  two  of  the  officers  and  myself  rode  to  Eibeira  Grande, 
a  village  a  few  miles  eastward  of  Porto  Praya.  Until  we 
reached  the  valley  of  St.  Martin,  the  country  presented  its  usual 
dull  brown  appearance  ;  but  here,  a  very  small  rill  of  water  pro- 
duces  a  most  refreshing  margin  of  luxuriant  vegetation.  In  the 
course  of  an  hour  we  arrived  at  Ribeira  Grande,  and  were  sur- 
prised at  the  sight  of  a  large  ruined  fort  and  cathedral.  This 
little  town,  before  its  harbour  was  filled  up,  was  the  principal 

*  I  state  this  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  E.  Diofienhach,  in  his  German 
translation  of  the  first  edition  of  this  Journal. 


1832.]  RIBEIRA   GRANDE— ST.   DOMINGO.-  3 

place  in  the  island :  it  now  presents  a  melancholy,  but  very  pic- 
turesque appearance.  Having  procured  a  black  Padre  for  a 
guide,  and  a  Spaniard  who  had  served  in  the  Peninsular  war  as 
an  interpreter,  we  visited  a  collection  of  buildings,  of  which  an 
ancient  church  formed  the  principal  part.  It  is  here  the  gover- 
nors and  captain-generals  of  the  islands  have  been  buried.  Some 
of  the  tombstones  recorded  dates  of  the  sixteenth  century.*  The 
heraldic  ornaments  were  the  only  things  in  this  retired  place  that 
reminded  us  of  Europe.  The  church  or  chapel  formed  one  side 
of  a  quadrangle,  in  the  middle  of  which  a  large  clump  of  bananas 
were  growing.  On  another  side  was  a  hospital,  containing  about 
a  dozen  miserable-looking  inmates. 

We  returned  to  the  Venda  to  eat  our  dinners.  A  considerable 
number  of  men,  women,  and  children,  all  as  black  as  jet,  col- 
lected to  watch  us.  Our  companions  were  extremely  merry ; 
and  everything  we  said  or  did  was  followed  by  their  hearty 
laughter.  Before  leaving  the  town  we  visited  the  cathedral.  It 
does  not  appear  so  rich  as  the  smaller  church,  but  boasts  of  a 
little  organ,  which  sent  forth  singularly  inharmonious  cries.  We 
presented  the  black  priest  with  a  few  shillings,  and  the  Spaniard, 
patting  him  on  the  head,  said,  with  much  candour,  he  thought 
his  colour  made  no  great  difference.  We  then  returned,  as  fast 
as  the  ponies  would  go,  to  Porto  Praya. 

Another  day  we  rode  to  the  village  of  St.  Domingo,  situated 
near  the  centre  of  the  island.  On  a  small  plain  which  we  crossed, 
a  few  stunted  acacias  were  growing ;  their  tops  had  been  bent 
by  the  steady  trade-wind,  in  a  singular  manner — some  of  them 
even  at  right  angles  to  their  trunks.  The  direction  of  the 
branches  was  exactly  N.E.  by  N.,  and  S.W.  by  S.,  and  these 
natural  vanes  must  indicate  the  prevailing  direction  of  the  force 
of  the  trade-wind.  The  travelling  had  made  so  little  impression 
on  the  barren  soil,  that  we  here  missed  our  track,  and  took  that 
to  Fuentes.  This  we  did  not  find  out  till  we  arrived  there  ;  and 
we  were  afterwards  glad  of  our  mistake.  Fuentes  is  a  pretty 
village,  with  a  small  stream  ;  and  everything  appeared  to  prosper 
well,  excepting,  indeed,  that  which  ought  to  do  so  most— its 

*  The  Cape  de  Verd  Islands  were  discovered  in  1449.  There  was  a 
tombstone  of  a  bishop  with  the  date  of  1571 ;  and  a  crest  of  a  hand  and 
dagger,  dated  1497. 


4  ST.   JAGO— CAPE   DE   VERD   ISLANDS.         [CHAP.  i. 

inhabitants.  The  black  children,  completely  naked,  and  looking 
very  wretched,  were  carrying  bundles  of  firewood  half  as  big  as 
their  own  bodies. 

Near  Fuentes  we  saw  a  large  flock  of  guinea-fowl — probably 
fifty  or  sixty  in  number.  They  were  extremely  wary,  and  could 
not  be  approached.  They  avoided  us,  like  partridges  on  a  rainy 
day  in  September,  running  with  their  heads  cocked  up  ;  and  if 
pursued,  they  readily  took  to  the  wing. 

The  scenery  Of  St.  Domingo  possesses  a  beauty  totally  unex- 
pected, from  the  prevalent  gloomy  character  of  the  rest  of  the 
island.  The  village  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  a  valley,  bounded 
by  lofty  and  jagged  walls  of  stratified  lava.  The  black  rocks 
afford  a  most  striking  contrast  with  the  bright  green  vegetation, 
which  follows  the  banks  of  a  little  stream  of  clear  water.  It 
happened  to  be  a  grand  feast-day,  and  the  village  was  full  of 
people.  On  our  return  we  overtook  a  party  of  about  twenty 
young  black  girls,  dressed  in  excellent  taste ;  their  black  skins 
and  snow-white  linen  being  set  off  by  coloured  turbans  and  large 
shawls.  As  soon  as  we  approached  near,  they  suddenly  all 
turned  round,  and  covering  the  path  with  their  shawls,  sung  with 
great  energy  a  wild  song,  beating  time  with  their  hands  upon 
their  legs.  We  threw  them  some  yinte'ms,  which  were  received 
with  screams  of  laughter,  and  we  left  them  redoubling  the  noise 
of  their  song. 

One  morning  the  view  was  singularly  clear ;  the  distant  moun- 
tains being  projected  with  the  sharpest  outline,  on  a  heavy  bank 
of  dark  blue  clouds.  Judging  from  the  appearance,  and  from 
similar  cases  in  England,  I  supposed  that  tho  air  was  saturated 
with  moisture.  The  fact,  however,  turned  out  quite  the  con- 
trary. The  hygrometer  gave  a  difference  of  29'6  degrees, 
between  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and  the  point  at  which  dew 
was  precipitated.  This  difference  was  nearly  double  that  which 
I  had  observed  on  the  previous  mornings.  This  unusual  degree 
of  atmospheric  dryness  was  accompanied  by  continual  flashes  of 
lightning.  Is  it  not  an  uncommon  case,  thus  to  find  a  re- 
markable degree  of  aerial  transparency  with  such  a  state  of 
weather  ? 

Generally  the  atmosphere  is  hazy ;  and  this  is  caused  by  the 
fulling  of  impalpably  fine  dust,  which  was  found  to  have  slightly 


1832.]  ATMOSPHERIC   DUST  WITH  INFUSORIA.  5 

injured  the  astronomical  instruments.  The  morning  before  we 
anchored  at  Porto  Praya,  I  collected  a  little  packet  of  this 
brown-coloured  fine  dust,  which  appeared  to  have  been  filtered 
from  the  wind  by  the  gauze  of  the  vane  at  the  mast-head.  Mr. 
Lyell  has  also  given  me  four  packets  of  dust  which  fell  on  a 
vessel  a  few  hundred  miles  northward  of  these  islands.  Professor 
Ehrenberg*  finds  that  this  dust  consists  in  great  part  of  infusoria 
with  siliceous  shields,  and  of  the  siliceous  tissue  of  plants.  In 
five  little  packets  which  I  sent  him,  he  has  ascertained  no  less 
than  sixty -seven  different  organic  forms !  The  infusoria,  with 
the  exception  of  two  marine  species,  are  all  inhabitants  of  fresh- 
water. I  have  found  no  less  than  fifteen  different  accounts  of 
dust  having  fallen  on  vessels  when  far  out  in  the  Atlantic.  From 
the  direction  of  the  wind  whenever  it  has  fallen,  and  from  its 
having  always  fallen  during  those  months  when  the  harmattan 
is  known  to  raise  clouds  of  dust  high  into  the  atmosphere,  we 
may  feel  sure  that  it  all  comes  from  Africa.  It  is,  however,  a 
very  singular  fact,  that,  although  Professor  Ehrenberg  knows 
many  species  of  infusoria  peculiar  to  Africa,  he  finds  none  of 
these  in  the  dust  which  I  sent  him  :  on  the  other  hand,  he  finds 
in  it  two  species  which  hitherto  he  knows  as  living  only  in  South 
America.  The  dust  falls  in  such  quantities  as  to  dirty  every- 
thing on  board,  and  to  hurt  people's  eyes ;  vessels  even  have  run 
on  shore  owing  to  the  obscurity  of  the  atmosphere.  It  has  often 
fallen  on  ships  when  several  hundred,  and  even  more  than  a 
thousand  miles  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  at  points  sixteen 
hundred  miles  distant  in  a  north  and  south  direction.  In  some 
dust  which  was  collected  on  a  vessel  three  hundred  miles  from 
the  land,  I  was  much  surprised  to  find  particles  of  stone  above 
the  thousandth  of  an  inch  square,  mixed  with  finer  matter.  After 
this  fact  one  need  not  be  surprised  at  the  diffusion  of  the  far 
lighter  and  smaller  sporules  of  cryptogamic  plants. 

The  geology  of  this  island  is  the  most  interesting  part  of  its 
natural  history.  On  entering  the  harbour,  a  perfectly  horizontal 
white  band  in  the  face  of  the  sea  cliff,  may  be  seen  running  for 

*  I  must  take  this  opportunity  of  acknowledging  the  great  kindness  with 
which  this  illustrious  naturalist  has  examined  many  of  my  specimens.  I 
have  sent  (June,  1845)  a  full  account  of  the  falling  of  this  dust  to  the  Geolo 
.^ical  Society. 


6  ST.    JAGO— CAPE   DE   VEED   ISLANDS.          [CHAP.  i. 

some  miles  along  tiie  coast,  and  at  the  height  of  about  forty-five 
feet  above  the  water.  Upon  examination,  this  white  stratum  is 
found  to  consist  of  calcareous  matter,  with  numerous  shells  em- 
bedded, most  or  all  .of  which  now  exist  on  the  neighbouring 
coast.  It  rests  on  ancient  volcanic  rocks,  and  has  been  covered 
by  a  stream  of  basalt,  which  must  have  entered  the  sea  when  the 
white  shelly  bed  was  lying  at  the  bottom.  It  is  interesting  to 
trace  the  changes,  produced  by  the  heat  of  the  overlying  lava,  on 
the  friable  mass,  which  in  parts  has  been  converted  into  a  crys- 
talline limestone,  and  in  other  parts  into  a  compact  spotted  stone. 
Where  the  lime  has  been  caught  up  by  the  scoriaceous  fragments 
of  the  lower  surface  of  the  stream,  it  is  converted  into  groups  of 
beautifully  radiated  fibres  resembling  arragonite.  The  beds  of 
lava  rise  in  successive  gently-sloping  plains,  towards  the  interior, 
whence  the  deluges  of  melted  stone  have  originally  proceeded. 
Within  historical  times,  no  signs  of  volcanic  activity  have,  I  be- 
lieve, been  manifested  in  any  part  of  St.  Jago.  Even  the  form 
of  a  crater  can  but  rarely  be  discovered  on  the  summits  of  the 
many  red  cindery  hills ;  yet  the  more  recent  streams  can  be  dis- 
tinguished on  the  coast,  forming  lines  of  cliffs  of  less  height,  but 
stretching  out  in  advance  of  those  belonging  to  an  older  series  : 
the  height  of  the  cliffs  thus  affording  a  rude  measure  of  the  age 
of  the  streams. 

During  our  stay,  I  observed  the  habits  of  some  marine  animals. 
A  large  Aplysia  is  very  common.  This  sea-slug  is  about  five 
inches  long;  and  is  of  a  dirty  yellowish  colour,  veined  with 
purple.  On  each  side  of  the  lower  surface,  or  foot,  there  is  a 
broad  membrane,  which  appears  sometimes  to  act  as  a  ventilator, 
in  causing  a  current  of  water  to  flow  over  the  dorsal  branchiae  or 
lungs.  It  feeds  on  the  delicate  sea-weeds  which  grow  among 
the  stones  in  muddy  and  shallow  water ;  and  I  found  in  its  sto- 
mach several  small  pebbles,  as  in  the  gizzard  of  a  bird.  This 
slug,  when  disturbed,  emits  a  very  fine  purplish-red  fluid,  which 
stains  the  water  for  the  space  of  a  foot  around.  Besides  thia 
means  of  defence,  an  acrid  secretion,  which  is  spread  over  its 
body,  causes  a  sharp,  stinging  sensation,  similar  to  that  produced 
by  the  Physalia,  or  Portuguese  man-of-war. 

I  was  much  interested,  on  several  occasions,  by  watching  the 
habits  of  an  Octopus,  or  cuttle-fish.  Although  common  in  the 


1832.]  HABITS   OF   A   CUTTLE-FISH.  7 

pools  of  water  left  by  the  retiring  tide,  these  animals  were  no* 
easily  caught.  By  means  of  their  long  arms  and  suckers,  they 
could  drag  their  bodies  into  very  narrow  crevices ;  and  when 
thus  fixed,  it  required  great  force  to  remove  them.  At  other 
times  they  darted  tail  first,  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow,  from 
one  side  of  the  pool  to  the  other,  at  the  same  instant  discolouring 
the  water  with  a  dark  chestnut-brown  ink.  These  animals  also 
escape  detection  by  a  very  extraordinary,  chameleon-like  power 
of  changing  their  colour.  They  appear  to  vary  their  tints  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  ground  over  which  they  pass:  when  in 
deep  water,  their  general  shade  was  brownish  purple,  but  when 
placed  on  the  land,  or  in  shallow  water,  this  dark  tint  changed 
into  one  of  a  yellowish  green.  The  colour,  examined  more  care- 
fully, was  a  French  grey,  with  numerous  minute  spots  of  bright 
yellow:  the  former  of  these  varied  in  intensity ;  the  latter  entirely 
disappeared  and  appeared  again  by  turns.  These  changes  were 
effected  in  such  a  manner,  that  clouds,  varying  in  tint  between  a 
hyacinth  red  and  a  chestnut  brown,*  were  continually  passing 
over  the  body.  Any  part,  being  subjected  to  a  slight  shock  of 
galvanism,  became  almost  black :  a  similar  effect,  but  in  a  less 
degree,  was  produced  by  scratching  the  skin  with  a  needle.  These 
clouds,  or  blushes  as  they  may  be  called,  are  said  to  be  produced 
by  the  alternate  expansion  and  contraction  of  minute  vesicles 
containing  variously  coloured  fluids.^ 

This  cuttle-fish  displayed  its  chameleon-like  power  both  during 
the  act  of  swimming  and  whilst  remaining  stationary  at  the  bot- 
tom. I  was  much  amused  by  the  venous  arts  to  escape  detection 
used  by  one  individual,  which  seemed  fully  aware  that  I  was 
watching  it.  Remaining  for  a  time  motionless,  it  would  then 
stealthily  advance  an  inch  or  two,  like  a  cat  after  a  mouse  ;  some- 
times changing  its  colour :  it  thus  proceeded,  till  having  gained  a 
deeper  part,  it  darted  away,  leaving  a  dusky  train  of  ink  to  hide 
the  hole  into  which  it  had  crawled. 

While  looking  for  marine  animals,  with  my  head  about  two 
feet  above  the  rocky  shore,  I  was  more  than  once  saluted  by  a 
jet  of  water,  accompanied  by  a  slight  grating  noise.  At  first  I 
could  not  think  what  it  was,  but  afterwards  I  found  out  that  it  was 

*  So  named  according  to  Patrick  Symes's  nomenclature. 
f  See  Encyclop.  of  Anat.  and  Physiol.,  article  Cephalopoda 
2 


ST.   PAUL'S   ROCKS.  [CHAP.  i. 


this  cuttle-fish,  which,  though  concealed  in  a  hole,  thus  often  led 
me  to  its  discovery.  That  it  possesses  the  power  of  ejecting 
water  there  is  no  doubt,  and  it  appeared  to  me  that  it  could  cer- 
tainly take  good  aim  by  directing  the  tube  or  siphon  on  the  under 
side  of  its  body.  From  the  difficulty  which  these  animals  have 
in  carrying  their  heads,  they  cannot  crawl  with  ease  when  placed 
on  the  ground.  I  observed  that  one  which  I  kept  in  the  cabin 
was  slightly  phosphorescent  in  the  dark. 

ST.  PAUL'S  ROCKS. — In  crossing  the  Atlantic  we  hove-to, 
during  the  morning  of  February  16th,  close  to  the  island  of  St. 
Paul's.  This  cluster  of  rocks  is  situated  in  0°  58'  north  latitude, 
and  29°  15'  west  longitude.  It  is  540  miles  distant  from  the 
coast  of  America,  and  350  from  the  island  of  Fernando  Noronha. 
The  highest  point  is  only  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
the  entire  circumference  is  under  three-quarters  of  a  mile.  This 
small  point  rises  abruptly  out  of  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  Its 
mineralogical  constitution  is  not  simple ;  in  some  parts  the  rock 
is  of  a  cherty,  in  others  of  a  felspathic  nature,  including  thin 
veins  of  serpentine.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  all  the  many 
small  islands,  lying  far  from  any  continent,  in  the  Pacific,  Indian, 
and  Atlantic  Oceans,  with  the  exception  of  the  Seychelles  and 
this  little  point  of  rock,  are,  I  believe,  composed  either  of  coral 
or  of  erupted  matter.  The  volcanic  nature  of  these  oceanic 
islands  is  evidently  an  extension  of  that  law,  and  the  effect  of 
those  same  causes,  whether  chemical  or  mechanical,  from  which 
it  results  that  a  vast  majority,  of  the  volcanoes  now  in  action 
stand  either  near  sea-coasts  or  as  islands  in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

The  rocks  of  St.  Paul  appear  from  a  distance  of  a  brilliantly 
white  colour.  This  is  partly  owing  to  the  dung  of  a  vast  multi- 
tude of  seafowl,  and  partly  to  a  coating  of  a  hard  glossy  sub- 
stance with  a  pearly  lustre,  which  is  intimately  united  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  rocks.  This,  when  examined  with  a  lens,  is  found  to 
consist  of  numerous  exceedingly  thin  layers,  its  total  thickness 
being  about  the  tenth  of  an  inch.  It  contains  much  animal 
matter,  and  its  origin,  no  doubt,  is  due  to  the  action  of  the  rain 
or  spray  on  the  birds'  dung.  Below  some  small  masses  of  guano 
at  Ascension,  and  on  the  Abrolhos  Islets,  I  found  certain  stalac- 
titic  branching  bodies,  formed  apparently  in  the  same  manner  as 


1832.]  SINGULAR   INCRUSTATIONS.  9 

the  thin  white  coating  on  these  rocks.  The  branching  bodies  so 
closely  resembled  in  general  appearance  certain  nulliporae  (a 
family  of  hard  calcareous  sea-plants),  that  in  lately  looking  hastily 
over  my  collection  I  did  not  perceive  the  difference.  The  glo- 
bular extremities  of  the  branches  are  of  a  pearly  texture,  like  the 
enamel  of  teeth,  but  so  hard  as  just  to  scratch  plate-glass.  1 
may  here  mention,  that  on  a  part  of  the  coast  of  Ascension, 
where  there  is  a  vast  accumulation  of  shelly  sand,  an  incrustation 
is  deposited  on  the  tidal  rocks,  by  the  water  of  the  sea,  resembling, 
as  represented  in  the  woodcut,  certain  cryptogamic  plants  (Mar- 
chantiae)  often  seen  on  damp  walls.  The  surface  of  the  fronds  is 


beautifully  glossy  ;  and  those  parts  formed  where  fully  exposed 
to  the  light,  are  of  a  jet  black  colour,  but  those  shaded  under 
ledges  are  only  grey.  I  have  shown  specimens  of  this  incrusta- 
tion to  several  geologists,  and  they  all  thought  that  they  were  of 
volcanic  or  igneous  origin  !  In  its  hardness  and  translucency — 
in  its  polish,  equal  to  that  of  the  finest  oliva-shell — in  the  bad 
smell  given  out,  and  loss  of  colour  under  the  blowpipe — it  shows 
a  close  similarity  with  living  sea-shells.  Moreover  in  sea-shells, 
it  is  known  that  the  parts  habitually  covered  and  shaded  by  the 
mantle  of  the  animal,  are  of  a  paler  colour  than  those  fully  ex- 
posed to  the  light,  just  as  is  the  case  with  this  incrustation. 
When  we  remember  that  lime,  either  as  a  phosphate  or  carbonate, 
enters  into  the  comoosition  of  the  hard  parts,  such  as  bones  and 


10  ST.   PAUL'S   ROCKS.  [CHAP.  i. 

shells,  of  all  living  animals,  it  is  an  interesting  physiological 
fact  *  to  find  substances  harder  than  the  enamel  of  teeth,  and 
coloured  surfaces  as  well  polished  as  those  of  a  fresli  shell,  re- 
formed through  inorganic  means  from  dead  organic  matter — 
mocking,  also,  in  shape  some  of  the  lower  vegetable  productions. 
We  found  on  St.  Paul's  only  two  kinds  of  birds — the  booby 
and  the  noddy.  The  former  is  a  species  of  gannet,  and  the 
latter  a  tern.  Both  are  of  a  tame  and  stupid  disposition,  and 
are  so  unaccustomed  to  visitors,  that  I  could  have  killed  anj 
number  of  them  with  my  geological  hammer.  The  booby  lays 
her  eggs  on  the  bare  rock ;  but  the  tern  makes  a  very  simple 
nest  with  seaweed.  By  the  side  of  many  of  these  nests  a  small 
flying-fish  was  placed ;  which,  I  suppose,  had  been  brought  by 
the  male  bird  for  its  partner.  It  was  amusing  to  watch  how 
quickly  a  large  and  active  crab  (Graspus),  which  inhabits  the 
crevices  of  the  rock,  stole  the  fish  from  the  side  of  the  nest,  as 
soon  as  we  had  disturbed  the  parent  birds.  Sir  W.  Symonds, 
one  of  the  few  persons  who  have  landed  here,  informs  me  that 
he  saw  the  crabs  dragging  even  the  young  birds  out  of  their 
nests,  and  devouring  them.  Not  a  single  plant,  not  even  a 
lichen,  grows  on  this  islet ;  yet  it  is  inhabited  by  several  insects 
and  spiders.  The  following  list  completes,  I  believe,  the  ter- 
restrial fauna :  a  fly  (Olrersia)  living  on  the  booby,  and  a  tick 
which  must  have  come  here  as  a  parasite  on  the  birds ;  a  small 
brown  moth,  belonging  to  a  genus  that  feeds  on  feathers ;  a 
beetle  (Quedius)  and  a  woodlouse  from  beneath  the  dung ;  and 
lastly,  numerous  spiders,  which  I  suppose  prey  on  these  small 
attendants  and  scavengers  of  the  waterfowl.  The  often  repeated 
description  of  the  stately  palm  and  other  noble  tropical  plants, 
then  birds,  and  lastly  man,  taking  possession  of  the  coral  islets 
as  soon  as  formed,  in  the  Pacific,  is  probably  not  quite  correct ; 
I  fear  it  destroys  the  poetry  of  this  story,  that  feather  and  dirt- 

*  Mr.  Homer  and  Sir  David  Brewster  have  described  (Philosophical 
Transactions,  1836,  p.  65)  a  singular  "  artificial  substance  resembling  shell." 
It  is  deposited  in  fine,  transparent,  highly  polished,  brown-coloured  laminae, 
possessing  peculiar  optical  properties,  on  the  inside  of  a  vessel,  in  which 
cloth,  first  prepared  Avith  glue  and  then  with  lime,  is  made  to  revolve  rapidly 
in  water.  It  is  much  softer,  more  transparent,  and  contains  more  animal 
matter,  than  the  natural  incrustation  at  Ascension ;  but  we  here  again  see 
die  strong  tendency  which  carbonate  of  lime  and  animal  matter  evince  to 
form  a  solid  substance  allied  to  shell. 


1832.]  FERNANDO  NORONHA.  11 

feeding  and  parasitic  insects  and  spiders  should  be  the  first  in- 
habitants of  newly  formed  oceanic  land. 

The  smallest  rock  in  the  tropical  seas,  by  giving  a  foundation 
for  the  growth  of  innumerable  kinds  of  seaweed  and  compound 
animals,  supports  likewise  a  large  number  of  fish.  The  sharks 
and  the  seamen  in  the  boats  maintained  a  constant  struggle 
which  should  secure  the  greater  share  of  the  prey  caught  by  the 
fishing-lines.  I  have  heard  that  a  rock  near  the  Bermudas, 
lying  many  miles  out  at  sea,  and  at  a  considerable  depth,  was 
first  discovered  by  the  circumstance  of  fish  having  been  observed 
in  the  neighbourhood. 

FERNANDO  NORONHA,  Feb.  20th. — As  far  as  I  was  enabled 
to  observe,  during  the  few  hours  we  stayed  at  this  place,  the  con 
stitution  of  the  island  is  volcanic,  but  probably  not  of  a  recent 
date.  The  most  remarkable  feature  is  a  conical  hill,  about  one 
thousand  feet  high,  the  upper  part  of  which  is  exceedingly  steep, 
and  on  one  side  overhangs  its  base.  The  rock  is  phonolite,  and 
is  divided  into  irregular  columns.  On  viewing  one  of  these  iso- 
lated masses,  at  first  one  is  inclined  to  believe  that  it  has  been 
suddenly  pushed  up  in  a  semi-fluid  state.  At  St.  Helena,  how- 
ever, I  ascertained  that  some  pinnacles,  of  a  nearly  similar 
figure  and  constitution,  had  been  formed  by  the  injection  of 
melted  rock  into  yielding  strata,  which  thus  had  formed  the 
moulds  for  these  gigantic  obelisks.  The  whole  island  is  co- 
vered with  wood ;  but  from  the  dryness  of  the  climate  there 
is  no  appearance  of  luxuriance.  Half-way  up  the  mountain, 
some  great  masses  of  the  columnar  rock,  shaded  by  laurel-like 
trees,  and  ornamented  by  others  covered  with  fine  pink  flowers 
but  without  a  single  leaf,  gave  a  pleasing  effect  to  the  nearer 
parts  of  the  scenery. 

BAIIIA,  OR  SAN  SALVADOR.  BRAZIL,  Feb.  29th. — The  day 
has  past  delightfully.  Delight  itself,  however,  is  a  weak  term 
to  express  the  feelings  of  a  naturalist  who,  for  the  first  time,  has 
wandered  by  himself  in  a  Brazilian  forest.  The  elegance  of  the 
grasses,  the  novelty  of  the  parasitical  plants,  the  beauty  of  the 
flowers,  the  glossy  green  of  the  foliage,  but  above  all  the  ge- 
noral  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation,  filled  me  with  admiration. 
A  most  paradoxical  mixture  of  sound  and  silence  pervades  the 


12  BAHIA— BRAZIL.  [CHAP.  i. 

shady  parts  of  the  wood.  The  noise  from  the  insects  is  so  loud, 
that  it  may  be  heard  even  in  a  vessel  anchored  several  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore;  yet  within  the  recesses  of  the  forest  a 
universal  silence  appears  to  reign.  To  a  person  fond  of  natural 
history,  such  a  day  as  this  brings  with  it  a  deeper  pleasure  than 
he  can  ever  hope  to  experience  again.  After  wandering  about 
for  some  hours,  1  returned  to  the  landing-place;  but,  before 
reaching  it,  I  was  overtaken  by  a  tropical  storm.  I  tried  to 
find  shelter  under  a  tree,  which  was  so  thick  that  it  would  never 
have  been  penetrated  by  common  English  rain  ;  but  here,  in  a 
couple  of  minutes,  a  little  torrent  flowed  down  the  trunk.  It  is 
to  this  violence  of  the  rain  that  we  must  attribute  the  verdure 
at  the  bottom  of  the  thickest  woods :  if  the  showers  were  like 
those  of  a  colder  clime,  the  greater  part  would  be  absorbed  or 
evaporated  before  it  reached  the  ground.  I  will  not  at  present 
attempt  to  describe  the  gaudy  scenery  of  this  noble  bay,  because, 
in  our  homeward  voyage,  we  called  here  a  second  time,  and  I 
shall  then  have  occasion  to  remark  on  it. 

Along  the  whole  coast  of  Brazil,  for  a  length  of  at  least  2000 
miles,  and  certainly  for  a  considerable  space  inland,  wherever 
solid  rock  occurs,  it  belongs  to  a  granitic  formation.  The  cir- 
cumstance of  this  enormous  area  being  constituted  of  materials 
which  most  geologists  believe  to  have  been  crystallized  when 
heated  under  pressure,  gives  rise  to  many  curious  reflections. 
Was  this  effect  produced  beneath  the  depths  of  a  profound  ocean  ? 
or  did  a  covering  of  strata  formerly  extend  over  it,  which  has 
since  been  removed  ?  Can  we  believe  that  any  power,  acting 
for  a  time  short  of  infinity,  could  have  denuded  the  granite  over 
so  many  thousand  square  leagues  ? 

On  a  point  not  far  from  the  city,  where  a  rivulet  entered  the 
sea,  I  observed  a  fact  connected  with  a  subject  discussed  by 
Hurnboldt.*  At  the  cataracts  of  the  great  rivers  Orinoco,  Nile, 
and  Congo,  the  syenitic  rocks  are  coated  by  a  black  substance, 
appearing  as  if  they  had  'been  polished  with  plumbago.  The 
layer  is  of  extreme  thinness ;  and  on  analysis  by  Berzelius  it  was 
found  to  consist  of  the  oxides  of  manganese  and  iron.  In  the 
Orinoco  it  occurs  on  the  rocks  periodically  washed  by  the  floods, 
and  in  those  parts  alone  where  the  stream  is  rapid ;  or,  as  the 
*  Pers.  Narr.,  vol.  v.  pt.  i.  p.  18. 


1832.]  HABITS   OF   A   DIODON.  13 

Indians  say,  "  the  rocks  are  black  where  the  waters  are  white." 
Here  the  coating  is  of  a  rich  brown  instead  of  a  black  colour, 
and  seems  to  be  composed  of  ferruginous  matter  alone.  Hand 
specimens  fail  to  give  a  just  idea  of  these  brown  burnished 
stones  which  glitter  in  the  sun's  rays.  They  occur  only  within 
the  limits  of  the  tidal  waves ;  and  as  the  rivulet  slowly  trickles 
down,  the  surf  must  supply  the  polishing  power  of  the  cataracts 
in  the  great  rivers.  In  like  manner,  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide 
probably  answer  to  the  periodical  inundations ;  and  thus  the 
same  effects  are  produced  under  apparently  different  but  really 
similar  circumstances.  The  origin,  however,  of  these  coatings 
of  metallic  oxides,  which  seem  as  if  cemented  to  the  rocks,  is  not 
understood  ;  and  no  reason,  I  believe,  can  be  assigned  for  their 
thickness  remaining  the  same. 

One  day  I  was  amused  by  watching  the  habits  of  the  Diodon 
antennatus,  which  was  caught  swimming  near  the  shore.  This 
fish,  with  its  flabby  skin,  is  well  known  to  possess  the  singular 
power  of  distending  itself  into  a  nearly  spherical  form.  After 
having  been  taken  out  of  water  for  a  short  time,  and  then  again 
immersed  in  it,  a  considerable  quantity  both  of  water  and  air 
is  absorbed  by  the  mouth,  and  perhaps  likewise  by  the  branchial 
orifices.  This  process  is  effected  by  two  methods :  the  air  is 
swallowed,  and  is  then  forced  into  the  cavity  of  the  body,  its 
return  being  prevented  by  a  muscular  contraction  which  is  exter- 
nally visible :  but  the  water  enters  in  a  gentle  stream  through 
the  mouth,  which  is  kept  wide  open  and  motionless ;  this  latter 
action  must,  therefore,  depend  on  suction.  The  skin  about  the 
abdomen  is  much  looser  than  that  on  the  back ;  hence,  during 
the  inflation,  the  lower  surface  becomes  far  more  distended  than 
the  upper ;  and  the  fish,  in  consequence,  floats  with  its  back 
downwards.  Cuvier  doubts  whether  the  Diodon  in  this  position 
is  able  to  swim ;  but  not  only  can  it  thus  move  forward  in  a 
straight  line,  but  it  can  turn  round  to  either  side.  This  latter 
movement  is  effected  solely  by  the  aid  of  the  pectoral  fins  ;  the 
tail  being  collapsed,  and  not  used.  From  the  body  being  buoyed 
up  with  so  much  air,  the  branchial  openings  are  out  of  water, 
but  a  stream  drawn  in  by  the  mouth  constantly  flows  through 
them. 

The  fish,  having  remained  in  this  distended  state  for  a  short 


14  BAHIA— BRAZIL.  [CHAP.  i. 

time,  generally  expelled  the  air  and  water  with  considerable 
force  from  the  branchial  apertures  and  mouth.  It  could  emit, 
at  will,  a  certain  portion  of  the  water ;  and  it  appears,  therefore, 
probable  that  this  fluid  is  taken  in  partly  for  the  sake  of  regu- 
lating its  specific  gravity.  This  Diodon  possessed  several  means 
of  defence.  It  could  give  a  severe  bite,  and  could  eject  water 
from  its  mouth  to  some  distance,  at  the  same  time  making  a  curious 
noise  by  the  movement  of  its  jaws.  By  the  inflation  of  its  body, 
the  papillae,  with  which  the  skin  is  covered,  become  erect  and 
pointed.  But  the  most  curious  circumstance  is,  that  it  secretes 
from  the  skin  of  its  belly,  when  handled,  a  most  beautiful  car- 
mine-red fibrous  matter,  which  stains  ivory  and  paper  in  so 
permanent  a  manner,  that  the  tint  is  retained  with  all  its  bright- 
ness to  the  present  day  :  I  am  quite  ignorant  of  the  nature  and 
use  of  this  secretion.  I  have  heard  from  Dr.  Allan  of  Forres, 
that  he  has  frequently  found  a  Diodon,  floating  alive  and  dis- 
tended, in  the  stomach  of  the  shark  ;  and  that  on  several  occa- 
sions he  has  known  it  eat  its  way,  not  only  through  the  coats  of 
the  stomach,  but  through  the  sides  of  the  monster,  which  has  thus 
been  killed.  Who  would  ever  have  imagined  that  a  little  soft 
fish  could  have  destroyed  the  great  and  savage  shark  ? 

March  IStk.—We  sailed  from  Bahia.  A  few  days  afterwards, 
when  not  far  distant  from  the  Abrolhos  Islets,  my  attention  was 
called  to  a  reddish-brown  appearance  in  the  sea.  The  whole 
surface  of  the  water,  as  it  appeared  under  a  weak  lens,  seemed  as 
if  covered  by  chopped  bits  of  hay,  with  their  ends  jagged.  These 
are  minute  cylindrical  confervas,  in  bundles  or  rafts  of  from 
twenty  to  sixty  in  each.  Mr.  Berkeley  informs  me  that  they  are 
the  same  species  (Trichodesmium  erythrasum)  with  that  found  over 
large  spaces  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  whence  its  name  of  Red  Sea  is  de- 
rived.* Their  numbers  must  be  infinite  :  the  ship  passed  through 
several  bands  of  them,  one  of  which  was  about  ten  yards  wide, 
and,  judging  from  the  mud-like  colour  of  the  water,  at  least  two 
and  a  half  miles  long.  In  almost  every  long  voyage  some 
account  is  given  of  these  confervas.  They  appear  especially  com- 
mon in  the  sea  near  Australia ;  and  off  Cape  Leeuwin  I  found  an 

*  M.  Montagne,  in  Comptes  Rendus,  &c.,  Juillet,  1844;  and  Annal.  des 
Scienc.  Nat,  Dec.  1844. 


1832.]  PELAGIC   CONFERVA   AND   INFUSORIA.  15 

allied,  but  smaller  and  apparently  different  species.  Captain 
Cook,  in  his  third  voyage,  remarks,  that  the  sailors  gave  to  this 
appearance  the  name  of  sea-sawdust. 

Near  Keeling  Atoll,  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  I  observed  many 
little  masses  of  confervas  a  few  inches  square,  consisting  of  long 
cylindrical  threads  of  excessive  thinness,  so  as  to  be  barely  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  mingled  with  other  rather  larger  bodies,  finely 
conical  at  both  ends.  Two  of  these 
are  shown  in  the  woodcut  united 
together.  They  vary  in  length  from 
•04  to  -06,  and  even  to  -08  of  an 
inch  in  length  ;  and  in  diameter  from  -006  to  '008  of  a  inch. 
Near  one  extremity  of  the  cylindrical  part,  a  green  septum, 
formed  of  granular  matter,  and  thickest  in  the  middle,  may 
generally  be  seen.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  bottom  of  a  most  deli- 
cate, colourless  sac,  composed  of  a  pulpy  substance,  which  lines 
the  exterior  case,  but  does  not  extend  within  the  extreme  conical 
points.  In  some  specimens,  small  but  perfect  spheres  of  brownish 
granular  matter  supplied  the  places  of  the  septa  ;  and  I  observed 
the  curious  process  by  which  they  were  produced.  The  pulpy 
matter  of  the  internal  coating  suddenly  grouped  itself  into  lines, 
some  of  which  assumed  a  form  radiating  from  a  common  centre ; 
it  then  continued,  with  an  irregular  and  rapid  movement,  to 
contract  itself,  so  that  in  the  course  of  a  second  the  whole  was 
united  into  a  perfect  little  sphere,  which  occupied  the  position  of 
the  septum  at  one  end  of  the  now  quite  hollow  case.  The  for- 
mation of  the  granular  sphere  was  hastened  by  any  accidental 
injury.  I  may  add,  that  frequently  a  pair  of  these  bodies  were 
attached  to  each  other,  as  represented  above,  cone  beside  cone,  at 
that  end  where  the  septum  occurs. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  other  observations  connected  with  the 
discoloration  of  the  sea  from  organic  causes.  On  the  coast  of 
Chile,  a  few  leagues  north  of  Concepcion,  the  Beagle  one  day 
passed  through  great  bands  of  muddy  water,  exactly  like  that  of 
a  swollen  river  ;  and  again,  a  degree  south  of  Valparaiso,  when 
fifty  miles  from  the  land,  the  same  appearance  was  still  more 
extensive.  Some  of  the  water  placed  in  a  glass  was  of  a  pale 
reddish  tint ;  and,  examined  under  a  microscope,  was  seen  to 
swarm  with  minute  animalcula  darting  about,  and  often  explod- 


16  DISCOLOURED   SEA.  [CHAP.  i. 

ing.  Their  shape  is  oval,  and  contracted  in  the  mid  lie  by  a 
ring  of  vibrating  curved  ciliae.  It  was,  however,  very  difficult 
to  examine  them  with  care,  for  almost  the  instant  motion  ceased, 
even  while  crossing  the  field  of  vision,  their  bodies  burst.  Some- 
times both  ends  burst  at  once,  sometimes  only  one,  and  a  quan- 
tity of  coarse,  brownish,  granular  matter  was  ejected.  The 
animal  an  instant  before  bursting  expanded  to  half  again  its 
natural  size;  and  the  explosion  took  place  about  fifteen  seconds 
after  the  rapid  progressive  motion  had  ceased :  in  a  few  cases  it 
was  preceded  for  a  short  interval  by  a  rotatory  movement  on  the 
longer  axis.  About  two  minutes  after  any  number  were  isolated 
in  a  drop  of  water,  they  thus  perished.  The  animals  move  with 
the  narrow  apex  forwards,  by  the  aid  of  their  vibratory  ciliee, 
and  generally  by  rapid  starts.  They  are  exceedingly  minute, 
and  quite  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  only  covering  a  space  equal 
to  the  square  of  the  thousandth  of  an  inch.  Their  numbers 
were  infinite  ;  for  the  smallest  drop  of  water  which  I  could  re- 
move contained  very  many.  In  one  day  we  passed  through  two 
spaces  of  water  thus  stained,  one  of  which  alone  must  have 
extended  over  several  square  miles.  What  incalculable  numbers 
of  these  microscopical  animals !  The  colour  of  the  water,  as 
seen  at  some  distance,  was  like  that  of  a  river  which  has  flowed 
through  a  red  clay  district ;  but  under  the  shade  of  the  vessel's 
side  it  was  quite  as  dark  as  chocolate.  The  line  where  the  red 
and  blue  water  joined  was  distinctly  defined.  The  weather  for 
some  days  previously  had  been  calm,  and  the  ocean  abounded,  to 
an  unusual  degree,  with  living  creatures.* 

In  the  sea  around  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  land,  I  have  seen  narrow  lines  of  water  of  a  bright  red 
colour,  from  the  number  of  Crustacea,  which  somewhat  resemble 
in  form  large  prawns.  The  sealers  call  them  whale-food. 
Whether  whales  feed  on  them  I  do  not  know ;  but  terns,  cormo- 

*  M.  Lesson  (Voyage  de  la  Coquille,  torn,  i.,  p.  255)  mentions  red  water 
off  Lima,  apparently  produced  by  the  same  cause.  Peron,  the  distinguished 
naturalist,  in  the  Voyage  aux  Terres  Australes,  gives  no  less  than  twelve 
references  to  voyagers  who  have  alluded  to  the  discoloured  waters  of  the  sea 
(vol.  ii.  p.  239).  To  the  references  given  by  Peron  may  be  added,  Hum- 
boldt's  Pers.  Narr.,  vol.  vi.  p.  804 ;  Flinders'  Voyage,  vol.  i.  p.  92  ;  Labil- 
lardiere,  vol.  i.  p.  287;  Ulloa's  Voyage;  Voyage  of  the  Astrolabe  and  01 
thf  Coquille ;  Captain  King's  Survey  of  Australia,  &c. 


1832.]  DISCOLOURED   SEA.  17 

rants,  and  immense  herds  of  great  unwieldy  seals  derive,  on  some 
parts  of  the  coast,  their  chief  sustenance  from  these  swimming 
crabs.  Seamen  invariably  attribute  the  discoloration  of  the 
water  to  spawn ;  but  I  found  this  to  be  the  case  only  on  one 
occasion.  At  the  distance  of  several  leagues  from  the  Archipe- 
lago of  the  Galapagos,  the  ship  sailed  through  three  strips  of 
r.  dark  yellowish,  or  mud-like  water;  these  strips  were  some 
miles  long,  but  only  a  few  yards  wide,  and  they  were  separated 
fmr\  the  surronndiiior  water  by  a  sinuous  yet  distinct  margin. 
The  colour  was  caused  by  little  gelatinous  balls,  about  the  fifth 
of  an  inch  in  diameter,  in  which  numerous  minute  spherical 
ovules  were  embedded  :  they  were  of  two  distinct  kinds,  one  being 
of  a  reddish  colour  and  of  a  different  shape  from  the  other.  1 
cannot  form  a  conjecture  as  to  what  two  kinds  of  animals  these 
belonged.  Captain  Colnett  remarks,  that  this  appearance  is 
very  common  among  the  Galapagos  Islands,  and  that  the  direc- 
tion of  the  bands  indicates  that  of  the  currents  ;  in  the  described 
case,  however,  the  line  was  caused  by  the  wind.  The  only  other 
appearance  which  I  have  to  notice,  is  a  thin  oily  coat  on  the 
water  which  displays  iridescent  colours  I  saw  a  considerable 
tract  of  the  ocean  thus  covered  ou  the  coast  of  Brazil ;  the  sea- 
men attributed  it  to  the  putrefying1  carcass  oi  some  whale,  which 
probably  was  floating  ai  no  great  distance.  I  do  not  here  men- 
tion the  minute  gelatinous  particles,  hereafter  to  be  referred  to, 
which  are  frequently  dispersed  throughout  the  water,  for  they 
are  not  sufficiently  abundant  to  create  any  change  of  colour. 

There  are  two .  circumstances  in  the  aoove  accounts  which 
appear  remarkable :  first,  how  do  the  various  bodies  which  form 
the  bands  with  denned  edges  keep  together  ?  In  the  case  of  the 
prawn-like  crabs,  their  movements  were  as  coinstantaneous  as  Li 
a  regiment  of  soldiers ;  but  this  cannot  happen  from  any  thing 
like  voluntary  action  with  the  ovules,  or  the  confervae,  nor  is  it 
probable  among  the  infusoria.  Secondly,  what  causes  the  length 
and  narrowness  of  the  bands  ?  The  appearance  so  much  re- 
sembles that  which  may  be  seen  in  every  torrent,  where  the  stream 
uncoils  into  long  streaks  the  froth  collected  in  the  eddies,  that 
I  must  attribute  the  effect  to  a  similar  action  either  of  the  cur- 
rents of  the  air  or  sea.  Under  this  supposition  we  must  believe 
that  the  various  organized  bodies  are  produced  in  certain  favour 


18  DISCOLOURED   SEA.  [CHAP.  i. 

able  places,  and  are  thence  removed  by  the  set  of  either  wind  or 
water.  I  confess,  however,  there  is  a  very  great  difficnlty  in 
imagining  any  one  spot  to  be  the  birthplace  of  the  millions  of 
millions  of  animalcula  and  confervas :  for  whence  come  the 
germs  at  such  points?— the  parent  bodies  having  been  distri- 
buted by  the  winds  and  waves  over  the  immense  ocean.  But  on 
no  other  hypothesis  can  I  understand  their  linear  grouping.  I 
may  add  that  Scoresby  remarks,  that  green  water  abounding  with 
pelagic  animals  is  invariably  found  in  a  neriaiu  part  of  the  Arc- 
tic Sea. 


1832.]  RIO   DE    JANEIRO.  19 


CHAPTER  II. 

Rio  de  Janeiro — Excursion  north  of  Cape  Frio — Great  Evaporation — Slavery 
— Botofogo  Bay — Terrestrial  Planarise — Clouds  on  the  Corcovado — Heavy 
Rain — Musical  Frogs — Phosphorescent  Insects — Elater,  springing  powers 
of— Blue  Haze — Noise  made  by  a  Butterfly — Entomology— Ants — Wasp 
killing  a  Spider — Parasitical  Spider — Artifices  of  an  Epeira — Gregarious 
Spider — Spider  with  an  unsymmetrical  Web. 

RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

April  4th  to  July  5th,  1 832. — A  few  days  after  our  arrival  1 
became  acquainted  with  an  Englishman  who  was  going  to  visit 
his  estate,  situated,  rather  more  than  a  hundred  miles  from  the 
capital,  to  the  northward  of  Cape  Frio.  I  gladly  accepted  his 
kind  offer  of  allowing  me  to  accompany  him. 

April  8th. — Our  party  amounted  to  seven.  The  first  stage 
was  very  interesting.  The  day  was  powerfully  hot,  and  as  we 
passed  through  the  woods,  every  thing  was  motionless,  excepting 
the  large  and  brilliant  butterflies,  which  lazily  fluttered  about. 
The  view  seen  when  crossing  the  hills  behind  Praia  Grande  was 
most  beautiful ;  the  colours  were  intense,  and  the  prevailing  tint 
a  dark  blue  ;  the  sky  and  the  calm  waters  of  the  bay  vied  with 
each  other  in  splendour.  After  passing  through  some  cultivated 
country,  we  entered  a  forest,  which  in  the  grandeur  of  all  its 
parts  could  not  be  exceeded.  We  arrived  by  midday  at  Itha- 
caia ;  this  small  village  is  situated  on  a  plain,  and  round  the 
central  house  are  the  huts  of  the  negroes.  These,  from  their 
regular  form  and  position,  reminded  me  of  the  drawings  of  the 
Hottentot,  habitations  in  Southern  Africa.  As  the  moon  rose 
early,  we  determined  to  start  the  same  evening  for  our  sleeping- 
place  at  the  Lagoa  Marica.  As  it  was  growing  dark  we  passed 
under  one  of  the  massive,  bare,  and  steep  hills  of  granite  which 
are  so  common  in  this  country.  This  spot  is  notorious  from 
having  been,  for  a  long  time,  the  residence  of  some  runaway 
slaves,  who,  by  cultivating  a  little  ground  near  the  top,  con 


20  RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

trived  to  eke  out  a  subsistence.  At  length  they  were  discovered, 
and  a  party  of  soldiers  being  sent,  the  whole  were  seized  with  the 
exception  of  one  old  woman,  who,  sooner  than  again  be  led  into 
slavery,  dashed  herself  to  pieces  from  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain. In  a  Roman  matron  this  would  have  been  called  the  noble 
love  of  freedom :  in  a  poor  negress  it  is  mere  brutal  obstinacy. 
We  continued  r'ding  for  some  hours.  For  the  few  last  miles 
the  road  was  intricate,  and  it  passed  through  a  desert  waste  of 
marshes  and  lagoons.  The  scene  by  the  dimmed  light  of  the 
moon  was  most  desolate.  A  few  fireflies  flitted  by  us  ;  and  the 
solitary  snipe,  as  it  rose,  uttered  its  plaintive  cry.  The  distant 
and  sullen  roar  of  the  sea  scarcely  broke  the  stillness  of  the 
night. 

April  9th. — We  left  our  miserable  sleeping-place  before  sun- 
rise. The  road  passed  through  a  narrow  sandy  plain,  lying 
between  the  sea  and  the  interior  salt  lagoons.  The  number  of 
beautiful  fishing  birds,  such  as  egrets  and  cranes,  and  the  succu- 
lent plants  assuming  most  fantastical  forms,  gave  to  the  scene  an 
interest  which  it  would  not  otherwise  have  possessed.  The  few 
stunted  trees  were  loaded  with  parasitical  plants,  among  which 
the  beauty  and  delicious  fragrance  of  some  of  the  orchideae  were 
most  to  be  admired.  As  the  sun  rose,  the  day  became  extremely 
hot,  and  the  reflection  of  the  light  and  heat  from  the  white  sand 
was  very  distressing.  We  dined  at  Mandetiba  ;  the  thermometer 
in  the  shade  being  84°.  The  beautiful  view  of  the  distant  wooded 
hills,  reflected  in  the  perfectly  calm  water  of  an  extensive  lagoon, 
quite  refreshed  us.  As  the  venda*  here  was  a  very  good  one,  and 
I  have  the  pleasant,  but  rare  remembrance,  of  an  excellent  din- 
ner, I  will  be  grateful  and  presently  describe  it,  as  the  type  of 
its  class.  These  houses  are  often  large,  and  are  built  of  thick 
upright  posts,  with  boughs  interwoven,  and  afterwards  plastered. 
They  seldom  have  floors,  and  never  glazed  windows ;  but  are 
generally  pretty  well  roofed.  Universally  the  front  part  is  open, 
forming  a  kind  of  verandah,  in  which  tables  and  benches  are 
placed.  The  bed-rooms  join  on  each  side,  and  here  the  passenger 
may  sleep  as  comfortably  as  he  can,  on  a  wooden  platform, 
covered  by  a  thin  straw  mat.  The  venda  stands  in  a  courtyard, 
where  the  horses  are  fed.  On  first  arriving,  it  was  our  custom 
*  Ve'nda,  the  Portuguese  name  for  an  iim. 


1832.]  LIVING   AT   A   VEND  A.  21 

to  unsaddle  the  horses  and  give  them  their  Indian  corn ;  then, 
with  a  low  bow,  to  ask  the  senhor  to  do  us  the  favour  to  give  us 
something  to  eat.  "  Any  thing  you  choose,  sir,"  was  his  usual 
answer.  For  the  few  first  times,  vainly  I  thanked  providence 
for  having  guided  us  to  so  good  a  man.  The  conversation  pro- 
ceeding, the  case  universally  became  deplorable.  "  Any  fish 
can  you  do  us  the  favour  of  giving?" — "  Oh  !  no,  sir." — "  Any 
soup  ?" — "  No,  sir." — "  Any  bread  ?" — "  Oh  !  no,  sir." — "  Any 
dried  meat  ?" — "  Oh  !  no,  sir."  If  we  were  lucky,  by  waiting  a 
couple  of  hours,  we  obtained  fowls,  rice,  and  farinha.  It  not 
(infrequently  happened,  that  we  were  obliged  to  kill,  with  stones, 
the  poultry  for  our  own  supper.  When,  thoroughly  exhausted 
by  fatigue  and  hunger,  we  timorously  hinted  that  we  should  be 
glad  of  our  meal,  the  pompous,  and  (though  true)  most  unsatis- 
factory answer  was,  "  It  will  be  ready  when  it  is  ready."  If  we 
had  dared  to  remonstrate  any  further,  we  should  have  been  told 
to  proceed  on  our  journey,  as  being  too  impertinent.  The  hosts 
are  most  ungracious  and  disagreeable  in  their  manners ;  their 
houses  and  their  persons  are  often  filthily  dirty  ;  the  want  of  the 
accommodation  of  forks,  knives,  and  spoons  is  common ;  and  I 
am  sure  no  cottage  or  hovel  in  England  could  be  found  in  a 
state  so  utterly  destitute  of  every  comfort.  At  Campos  Novos, 
however,  we  fared  sumptuously ;  having  rice  and  fowls,  biscuit, 
wine,  and  spirits,  for  dinner ;  coffee  in  the  evening,  and  fish  with 
coffee  for  breakfast.  All  this,  with  good  food  for  the  horses, 
only  cost  2s.  6d.  per  head.  Yet  the  host  of  this  v£nda,  being 
asked  if  he  knew  any  thing  of  a  whip  which  one  of  the  party 
had  lost,  gruffly  answered,  "  How  should  I  know  ?  why  did  you 
not  take  care  of  it  ? — I  suppose  the  dogs  have  eaten  it." 

Leaving  Mandetiba,  we  continued  to  pass  through  an  intricate 
wilderness  of  lakes ;  in  some  of  which  were  fresh,  in  others  salt 
water  shells.  Of  the  former  kind,  I  found  a  Limnaea  in  great 
numbers  in  a  lake,  into  which,  the  inhabitants  assured  me  that 
the  sea  enters  once  a  year,  and  sometimes  oftener,  and  makes  the 
water  quite  salt.  I  have  no  doubt  many  interesting  facts,  in 
relation  to  marine  and  fresh  water  animals,  might  be  observed 
in  this  chain  of  lagoons,  which  skirt  the  coast  of  Brazil.  M. 
Gay*  has  stated  that  he  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rio, 
*  Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles  for  1833. 


RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 


shells  of  the  marine  genera  solen  and  mytilus,  and  fresh  water 
ampullarise,  living  together  in  brackish  water.  I  also  frequently 
observed  in  the  lagoon  near  the  Botanic  Garden,  where  the 
water  is  only  a  little  less  salt  than  in  the  sea,  a  species  of  hydro- 
philus,  very  similar  to  a  water-beetle  common  in  the  ditches  of 
P^ngland :  in  the  same  lake  the  only  shell  belonged  to  a  genus 
generally  found  in  estuaries. 

Leaving  the  coast  for  a  time,  we  again  entered  the  forest.  The 
trees  were  very  lofty,  and  remarkable,  compared  with  those  of 
Europe,  from  the  whiteness  of  their  trunks.  I  see  by  my  note- 
book, "  wonderful  and  beautiful,  flowering  parasites,"  invariably 
struck  me  as  the  most  novel  object  in  these  grand  scenes.  Travel- 
ling onwards  we  passed  through  tracts  cf  pasturage,  much  in- 
jured by  the  enormous  conical  ants'  nests,  which  were  nearly 
twelve  feet  high.  They  gave  to  the  plain  exactly  the  appear 
ance  of  the  mud  volcanos  at  Jorullo,  as  figured  by  Humboldt. 
We  arrived  at  Engenhodo  after  it  was  dark,  having  been  ten 
hours  on  horseback.  I  never  ceased,  during  the  whole  journey, 
to  be  surprised  at  the  amount  of  labour  which  the  horses  were 
capable  of  enduring ;  they  appeared  also  to  recover  from  any 
injury  much  sooner  than  those  of  our  English  breed.  The  Vam- 
pire bat  is  often  the  cause  of  much  trouble,  by  biting  the  horses 
on  their  withers.  The  injury  is  generally  not  so  much  owing  to 
the  loss  of  blood,  as  to  the  inflammation  which  the  pressure  of 
the  saddle  afterwards  produces.  The  whole  circumstance  has 
lately  been  doubted  in  England ;  I  was  therefore  fortunate  in 
being  present  when  one  (Desmodus  d'orbignyi,  Wat.)  was  actually 
caught  on  a  horse's  back.  We  were  bivouacking  late  one  even- 
ing near  Coquimbo,  in  Chile,  when  my  servant,  noticing  that 
one  of  the  horses  was  very  restive,  went  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  and  fancying  he  could  distinguish  something,  suddenly 
put  his  hand  on  the  beast's  withers,  and  secured  the  vampire. 
Tn  the  morning  the  spot  where  the  bite  had  been  inflicted  was 
easily  distinguished  from  being  slightly  swollen  and  bloody.. 
The  third  day  afterwards  we  rode  the  horse,  without  any  ill 
effects. 

April  IZth. — After  three  days'  travelling  we  arrived  at  Socego, 
the  estate  of  Senhor  Manuel  Figuireda,  a  relation  of  one  of  our 
party.  The  house  was  simple,  and,  though  like  a  barn  in  form. 


1832.]  ARRIVAL  AT   SOCEGO.  23 

was  well  suited  to  the  climate.  In  the  sitting-room  gilded  chairs 
and  sofas  were  oddly  contrasted  with  the  whitewashed  walls, 
thatched  roof,  and  windows  without  glass.  The  house,  together 
with  the  granaries,  the  stables,  and  workshops  for  the  blacks, 
who  had  been  taught  various  trades,  formed  a  rude  kind  of  quad- 
rangle ;  in  the  centre  of  which  a  large  pile  of  coffee  was  drying. 
These  buildings  stand  on  a  little  hill,  overlooking  the  cultivated 
ground,  and  surrounded  on  every  side  by  a  wall  of  dark  green 
luxuriant  forest.  The  chief  produce  of  this  part  of  the  country 
is  coffee.  Each  tree  is  supposed  to  yield  annually,  on  an  average, 
two  pounds;  but  some  give  as  much  as  eight.  Mandioca  or 
cassada  is  likewise  cultivated  in  great  quantity.  Every  part  of 
this  plant  is  useful :  the  leaves  and  stalks  are  eaten  by  the  horses, 
and  the  roots  are  ground  into  a  pulp,  which,  when  pressed  dry 
and  baked,  forms  the  farinha,  the  principal  article  of  sustenance 
in  the  Brazils.  It  is  a  curious,  though  well  known  fact,  that  the 
juice  of  this  most  nutritious  plant  is  highly  poisonous.  A  few 
years  ago  a  cow  died  at  this  Fazenda,  in  consequence  of  having 
drunk  some  of  it.  Senhor  Figuireda  told  me  that  he  had  planted, 
the  year  before,  one  bag  of  feijao  or  beans,  and  three  of  rice ; 
the  former  of  which  produced  eighty,  and  the  latter  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  fold.  The  pasturage  supports  a  fine  stock  of 
cattle,  and  the  woods  are  so  full  of  game,  that  a  deer  had  been 
killed  on  each  of  the  three  previous  days.  This  profusion  of 
food  showed  itself  at  dinner,  where,  if  the  tables  did  not  groan, 
the  guests  surely  did  :  for  each  person  is  expected  to  eat  of  every 
dish.  One  day,  having,  as  I  thought,  nicely  calculated  so  that 
nothing  should  go  away .  untasted,  to  my  utter  dismay  a  roast 
turkey  and  a  pig  appeared  in  all  their  substantial  reality.  Dur- 
ing the  meals,  it  was  the  employment  of  a  man  to  drive  out  of 
the  room  sundry  old  hounds,  and  dozens  of  little  black  children, 
which  crawled  in  together,  at  every  opportunity.  As  long  as  the 
idea  of  slavery  could  be  banished,  there  was  something  exceed- 
ingly fascinating  in  this  simple  and  patriarchal  style  of  living: 
it  was  such  a  perfect  retirement  and  independence  from  the  rest 
of  the  world.  As  soon  as  any  stranger  is  seen  arriving,  a  large 
bell  is  set  tolling,  and  generally  some  small  cannon  are  fired 
The  event  is  thus  announced  to  the  rocks  and  woods,  but  to 
nothing  else.  One  morning  I  walked  out  an  hour  before  day- 


24  RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

light  to  admire  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  scene  ;  at  last,  the 
silence,  was  broken  by  the  morning  hymn,  raised  on  high  by  the 
whole  body  of  the  blacks ;  and  in  this  manner  their  daily  work 
is  generally  begun.  On  such  fazendas  as  these,  I  have  no  doubt 
the  slaves  pass  happy  and  contented  lives.  On  Saturday  ar,d 
Sunday  they  work  for  themselves,  and  in  this  fertile  climate  the 
labour  of  two  days  is  sufficient  to  support  a  man  and  his  family 
for  the  whole  week. 

April  \\th. — Leaving  Socego,  we  rode  to  another  estate  on 
the  Rio  Macae,  which  was  the  last  patch  of  cultivated  ground  in 
that  direction.  The  estate  was  two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and 
the  owner  had  forgotten  how  many  broad.  Only  a  very  small 
piece  had  been  cleared,  yet  almost  every  acre  was  capable  of 
yielding  all  the  various  rich  productions  of  a  tropical  land. 
Considering  the  enormous  area  of  Brazil,  the  proportion  of  cul- 
tivated ground  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  any  thing,  compared 
to  that  which  is  left  in  the  state  of  nature  :  at  some  future  age, 
how  vast  a  population  it  will  support !  During  the  second  day's 
journey  we  found  the  road  so  shut  up,  that  it  was  necessary  that 
a  man  should  go  ahead  with  a  sword  to  cut  away  the  creepers. 
The  forest  abounded  with  beautiful  objects ;  among  which  the 
tree  ferns,  though  not  large,  were,  from  their  bright  green 
foliage,  and  the  elegant  curvature  of  their  fronds,  most  worthy 
of  admiration.  In  the  evening  it  rained  very  heavily,  and 
although  the  thermometer  stood  at  65°,  I  felt  very  cold.  As 
soon  as  the  rain  ceased,  it  was  curious  to  observe  the  extraordi- 
nary evaporation  which  commenced  over  the  whole  extent  of  the 
forest.  At  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet  the  hills  were  buried  in 
a  dense  white  vapour,  which  rose  like  columns  of  smoke  from  the 
most  thickly-wooded  parts,  and  especially  from  the  valleys.  I 
observed  this  phenomenon  on  several  occasions :  I  suppose  it  is 
owing  to  the  large  surface  of  foliage,  previously  heated  by  the 
sun's  rays. 

While  staying  at  this  estate,  I  was  very  nearly  being  an  eye- 
witness to  one  of  those  atrocious  acts  which  can  only  take  place 
in  a  slave  country.  Owing  to  a  quarrel  and  a  law-suit,  the 
owner  was  on  the  ^oint  of  taking  all  the  women  and  children 
from  the  male  slaves,  and  selling  them  separately  at  the  public 
auction  at  Rio.  Interest,  and  not  any  feeling  of  compassioQj 


1832.]  APPEARANCE   OF   THE   FORESTS.  25 

prevented  this  act.  Indeed,  I  do  not  believe  the  inhumanity  of 
separating  thirty  families,  who  had  lived  together  for  many  years, 
even  occurred  to  the  owner.  Yet  I  will  pledge  myself,  that  in 
humanity  and  good  feeling  he  was  superior  to  the  common  run 
of  men.  It  may  be  said  there  exists  no  limit  to  the  blindness  of 
interest  and  selfish  habit.  I  may  mention  one  very  trifling  anec- 
dote, which  at  the  time  struck  me  more  forcibly  than  any  story 
of  cruelty.  I  was  crossing  a  ferry  with  a  negro,  who  was  un- 
commonly stupid.  In  endeavouring  to  make  him  understand,  I 
talked  loud,  and  made  signs,  in  doing  which  I  passed  my  hand 
near  his  face.  He,  I  suppose,  thought  I  was  in  a  passion,  and 
was  going  to  strike  him ;  for  instantly,  with  a  frightened  look 
and  half-shut  eyes,  he  dropped  his  hands.  I  shall  never  forget 
my  feelings  of  surprise,  disgust,  and  shame,  at  seeing  a  great 
powerful  man  afraid  even  to  ward  off  a  blow,  directed,  as  he 
thought,  at  his  face.  This  man  had  been  trained  to  a  degrada- 
tion lower  than  the  slavery  of  the  most  helpless  animal. 

April  ISth. — In  returning  we  spent  two  days  at  Socego,  and 
I  employed  them  in  collecting  insects  in  the  forest.  The  greater 
number  of  trees,  although  so  lofty,  are  not  more  than  three  or 
four  feet  in  circumference.  There  are,  of  course,  a  few  of  much 
greater  dimension.  Senhor  Manuel  was  then  making  a  canoe 
70  feet  in  length  from  a  solid  trunk,  which  had  originally  been 
1 10  feet  long,  and  of  great  thickness.  The  contrast  of  palm 
trees,  growing  amidst  the  common  branching  kinds,  never  fails 
to  give  the  scene  an  intertropical  character.  Here  the  woods 
were  ornamented  by  the  Cabbage  Palm — one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  its  family.  With  a  stem  so  narrow  that  it  might  be 
clasped  with  the  two  hands,  it  waves  its  elegant  head  at  the 
height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  ground.  The  woody 
creepers,  themselves  covered  by  other  creepers,  were  of  great 
thickness :  some  which  I  measured  were  two  feet  in  circumference. 
Many  of  the  older  trees  presented  a  very  curious  appearance  from 
the  tresses  of  a  liana  hanging  from  their  boughs,  and  resembling 
bundles  of  hay.  If  the  eye  was  turned  from  the  world  of  foliage 
above,  to  the  ground  beneath,  it  was  attracted  by  the  extreme 
elegance  of  the  leaves  of  the  ferns  and  mimosae.  The  latter,  in 
some  parts,  covered  the  surface  with  a  brushwood  only  a  few  inches 
high.  In  walking  across  these  thick  beds  of  mimoaes,  a  broad  track 


26  RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

was  marked  by  the  change  of  shade,  produced  by  the  drooping  oi 
theii  sensitive  petioles.  It  is  easy  to  specify  the  individual  objects 
of  admiration  in  these  grand  scenes ;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  give 
an  adequate  idea  of  the  higher  feelings  of  wonder,  astonishment, 
and  devotion,  which  fill  and  elevate  the  mind. 

April  19th. — Leaving  Socego,  during  the  two  first  days,  we 
retraced  our  steps.  It  was  very  wearisome  work,  as  the  road 
generally  ran  across  a  glaring  hot  sandy  plain,  not  far  from  the 
coast.  I  noticed  that  each  time  the  horse  put  its  foot  on  the  fine 
siliceous  sand,  a  gentle  chirping  noise  was  produced.  On  the 
third  day  we  took  a  different  line,  and  passed  through  the  gay 
little  village  of  Madre  de  Deos.  This  is  one  of  the  principal 
lines  of  road  in  Brazil ;  yet  it  was  in  so  bad  a  state  that  no  wheel 
vehicle,  excepting  the  clumsy  bullock-waggon,  could  pass  along. 
In  our  whole  journey  we  did  not  cross  a  single  bridge  built  of 
stone ;  and  those  made  of  logs  of  wood  were  frequently  so  much 
out  of  repair,  that  it  was  necessary  to  go  on  one  side  to  avoid 
them.  All  distances  are  inaccurately  known.  The  road  is 
often  marked  by  crosses,  in  the  place  of  milestones,  to  signify 
where  human  blood  has  been  spilled.  On  the  evening  of  the 
23rd  we  arrived  at  Rio,  having  finished  our  pleasant  little  ex 
cursion. 

During  the  remainder  of  my  stay  at  Rio,  I  resided  in  a  cottage 
at  Botofogo  Bay.  It  was  impossible  to  wish  for  anything  more 
delightful  than  thus  to  spend  some  weeks  in  so  magnificent  a 
country.  In  England  any  person  fond  of  natural  history  enjoys 
in  his  walks  a  great  advantage,  by  always  having  something  to 
attract  his  attention  ;  but  in  these  fertile  climates,  teeming  with 
life,  the  attractions  are  so  numerous,  that  he  is  scarcely  able  to 
walk  at  all. 

The  few  observations  which  I  was  enabled  to  make  were 
almost  exclusively  confined  to  the  invertebrate  animals.  The 
existence  of  a  division  of  the  genus  Planaria,  which  inhabits  the 
dry  land,  interested  me  much.  These  animals  are  .of  so  simple  a 
structure,  that  Cuvier  has  arranged  them  with  the  intestinal 
worms,  though  never  found  within  the  bodies  of  other  animals. 
Numerous  species  inhabit  both  salt  and  fresh  water ;  but  those  to 
which  I  allude  were  found,  even  in  the  drier  parts  of  the  forest, 


1832.]  PLANARLE.  27 

beneath  logs  of  rotten  wood,  on  which  I  believe  they  feed.  Iu 
general  form  they  resemble  little  slugs,  but  are  very  much  nar- 
rower in  proportion,  and  several  of  the  species  are  beautifully 
coloured  with  longitudinal  stripes.  Their  structure  is  very 
simple :  near  the  middle  of  the  under  or  crawling  surface  there 
are  two  small  transverse  slits,  from  the  anterior  one  of  which  a 
tunnel-shaped  and  highly  irritable  mouth  can  be  protruded,  lor 
some  time  after  the  rest  of  the  animal  was  completely  dead  from 
the  effects  of  salt  water  or  any  other  cause,  this  organ  still  re- 
tained its  vitality. 

I  found  no  less  than  twelve  different  species  of  terrestrial  Pla- 
nariae in  different  parts  of  the  southern  hemisphere.*  Some 
specimens  which  I  obtained  at  Van  Diemen's  Land,  I  kept  alive 
for  nearly  two  months,  feeding  them  on  rotten  wood.  Having 
cut  one  of  them  transversely  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  in  the 
course  of  a  fortnight  both  had  the  shape  of  perfect  animals.  I 
had,  however,  so  divided  the  body,  that  one  of  the  halves  con- 
tained both  the  inferior  orifices,  and  the  other,  in  consequence, 
none.  In  the  course  of  twenty-five  days  from  the  operation,  the 
more  perfect  half  could  not  have  been  distinguished  from  any 
other  specimen.  The  other  had  increased  much  in  size ;  and  to- 
wards its  posterior  end,  a  clear  space  was  formed  in  the  pa- 
renchymatous  mass,  in  which  a  rudimentary  cup-shaped  mouth 
could  clearly  be  distinguished  ;  on  the  under  surface,  however, 
no  corresponding  slit  was  yet  open.  If  the  increased  heat  of  the 
weather,  as  we  approached  the  equator,  had  not  destroyed  alJ 
the  individuals,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  last  step  would 
have  completed  its  structure.  Although  so  well-known  an  ex- 
periment, it  was  interesting  to  watch  the  gradual  production  of 
every  essential  organ,  out  of  the  simple  extremity  of  another 
animal.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  preserve  these  Planariae ;  as 
soon  as  the  cessation  of  life  allows  the  ordinary  laws  of  change 
to  act,  their  entire  bodies  become  soft  and  fluid,  with  a  rapidity 
which  I  have  never  seen  equalled. 

I  first  visited  the  forest  in  which  these  Planariae  were  found, 
in  company  with  an  old  Portuguese  priest  who  took  me  out  to 
hunt  with  him.  The  sport  consisted  in  turning  into  the  covei 

*  I  have  described  and  named  these  species  in  the  '  Annals  of  NaL  Hist. 
vol.  xiv.  p.  241. 


RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 


a  few  dogs,  and  then  patiently  waiting  to  fire  at  any  animal 
which  might  appear.  We  were  accompanied  by  the  son  of  a 
neighbouring  farmer— a  good  specimen  of  a  wild  Brazilian 
youth.  He  was  dressed  in  a  tattered  old  shirt  and  trousers,  and 
had  his  head  uncovered  :  he  carried  an  old-fashioned  gun  and  a 
large  knife.  The  habit  of  carrying  the  knife  is  universal ;  and 
in  traversing  a  thick  wood  it  is  almost  necessary,  on  account  of 
the  creeping  plants.  The  frequent  occurrence  of  murder  may 
be  partly  attributed  to  this  habit.  The  Brazilians  are  so  dex- 
terous with  the  knife,  that  they  can  throw  it  to  some  distance 
with  precision,  and  with  sufficient  force  to  cause  a  fatal  wound. 
I  have  seen  a  number  of  little  boys  practising  this  art  as  a  game 
of  play,  and  from  their  skill  in  hitting  an  upright  stick,  they 
promised  well  for  more  earnest  attempts.  My  companion,  the 
day  before,  had  shot  two  large  bearded  monkeys.  These  ani- 
mals have  prehensile  tails,  the  extremity  of  which,  even  after 
death,  can  support  the  whole  weight  of  the  body.  Oiae  of  them 
thus  remained  fast  to  a  branch,  and  it  was  necessary  to  cut  down 
a  large  tree  to  procure  it.  This  was  soon  effected,  and  down 
came  tree  and  monkey  with  an  awful  crash.  Our  day's  sport, 
besides  the  monkey,  was  confined  to  sundry  small  green  parrots 
and  a  few  toucans.  I  profited,  nowever,  by  my  acquaintance 
with  the  Portuguese  padre,  for  on  another  occasion  he  gave  me 
a  fine  specimen  of  the  Yagouaroundi  cat.  , 

Every  one  has  heard  of  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  near  Boto- 
fogo.  The  house  in  which  I  lived  was  seated  close  beneath  the 
well-known  mountain  of  the  Corcovado.  It  has  been  remarked, 
with  much  truth,  that  abruptly  conical  hills  are  characteristic  of 
the  formation  which  Humboldt  designates  as  gneiss-granite. 
Nothing  can  be  more  striking  than  the  effect  of  these  huge 
rounded  masses  of  naked  rock  rising  out  of  the  most  luxuriant 
vegetation. 

I  was  often  interested  by  watching  the  clouds,  which,  rolling 
in  from  seaward,  formed  a  bank  just  beneath  the  highest  point 
of  the  Corcovado.  This  mountain,  like  most  others,  when  thus 
partly  veiled,  appeared  to  rise  to  a  far  prouder  elevation  than  its 
real  height  of  2300  feet.  Mr.  Daniell  has  observed,  in  his  me- 
teorological essays,  that  a  cloud  sometimes  appears  fixed  on  a 
mountain  summit,  while  the  wind  continues  to  blow  over  it. 


1832.]  PHOSPHORESCENT   INSECTS.  29 

The  same  phenomenon  here  presented  a  slightly  different  appear- 
ance. In  this  case  the  cloud  was  clearly  seen  to  curl  over,  and 
rapidly  pass  by  the  summit,  and  yet  was  neither  diminished  nor 
increased  in  size.  The  sun  was  setting,  and  a  gentle  southerly 
breeze,  striking  against  the  southern  side  of  the  rock,  mingled 
its  current  with  the  colder  air  above  ;  and  the  vapour  was  thus 
condensed :  but  as  the  light  wreaths  of  cloud  passed  over  the 
ridge,  and  came  within  the  influence  of  the  warmer  atmosphere 
of  the  northern  sloping  bank,  they  were  immediately  redis- 
solved. 

The  climate,  during  the  months  of  May  and  June,  or  the  be- 
ginning of  winter,  was  delightful.  The  mean  temperature,  from 
observations  taken  at  nine  o'clock,  both  morning  and  evening, 
was  only  72".  It  often  rained  heavily,  but  the  drying  southerly 
winds  soon  again  rendered  the  walks  pleasant.  One  morning, 
in  the  course  of  six  hours,  1.6  inches  of  rain  fell.  As  this 
storm  passed  over  the  forests  which  surround  the  Corcovado, 
the  sound  produced  by  the  drops  pattering  on  the  countless  mul- 
titude of  leaves  was  very  remarkable  ;  it  could  be  heard  at  the 
distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  was  like  the  rushing  of  a 
great  body  of  water.  After  the  hotter  days,  it  was  delicious  to 
sit  quietly  in  the  garden  and  watch  the  evening  pass  into  night. 
Nature,  in  these  climes,  chooses  her  vocalists  from  more  humble 
performers  than  in  Europe.  A  small  frog,  of  the  genus  Hyla, 
sits  on  a  blade  of  grass  about  an  inch  above  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  sends  forth  a  pleasing  chirp :  when  several  are  to- 
gether they  sing  in  harmony  on  different  notes.  I  had  some 
difficulty  in  catching  a  specimen  of  this  frog.  The  genus  Hyla 
has  its  toes  terminated  by  small  suckers  ;  and  I  found  this  animal 
could  crawl  up  a  pane  of  glass,  when  placed  absolutely  perpen- 
dicular. Various  cicadse  and  crickets,  at  the  same  time,  keep 
up  a  ceaseless  shrill  cry,  but  -which,,  softened  by  the  distance,  is 
not  unpleasant.  Every  evening  after  dark  this  great  concert 
commenced  ;  and  often  have  I  sat  listening  to  it,  until  my  atten- 
tion has  been  drawn  away  by  some  curious  passing  insect. 

At  these  times  the  fireflies  are  seen  flitting  about  from  hedge 
to  hedge.  On  a  dark  night  the  light  can  be  seen  at  about  two 
hundred  paces  distant.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  all  the  different 
kinds  of  glowworms,  shining  elaters,  and  various  marine  animalf 


RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 


(such  as  the  Crustacea,  medusae,  nereidse,  a  coralline  of  the  genus 
Clytia,  and  Pyrosoma),  which  I  have  observed,  the  light  has 
been  of  a  well-marked  green  colour.  All  the  fireflies,  which  I 
caught  here,  belonged  to  the  Lampyridae  (in  which  family  the 
English  glowworm  is  included),  and  the  greater  number  of  spe- 
cimens were  of  Lampyris  occidental  is.*  I  found  that  this  insect 
emitted  the  most  brilliant  flashes  when  irritated  :  in  the  intervals, 
the  abdominal  rings  were  obscured.  The  flash  was  almost  co- 
instantaneous  in  the  two  rings,  but  it  was  just  perceptible  first 
in  the  anterior  one.  The  shining  matter  was  fluid  and  very  ad- 
hesive :  little  spots,  where  the  skin  had  been  torn,  continued 
bright  with  a  slight  scintillation,  whilst  the  uninjured  parts  were 
obscured.  When  the  insect  was  decapitated  the  rings  remained 
uninterruptedly  bright,  but  not  so  brilliant  as  before  :  local  irri- 
tation with  a  needle  always  increased  the  vividness  of  the  light. 
The  rings  in  one  instance  retained  their  luminous  property  nearly 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  death  of  the  insect.  From  these 
facts  it  would  appear  probable,  that  the  animal  has  only  the 
power  of  concealing  or  extinguishing  the  light  for  short  inter- 
vals, and  that  at  other  times  the  display  is  involuntary.  On  the 
muddy  and  wet  gravel-walks  I  found  the  larvze  of  this  lampyris 
in  great  numbers  :  they  resembled  in  general  form  the  female  of 
the  English  glowworm.  These  larvae  possessed  but  feeble 
luminous  powers;  very  differently  from  their  parents,  on  the 
slightest  touch  they  feigned  death,  and  ceased  to  shine  ;  nor  did 
irritation  excite  any  fresh  display.  I  kept  several  of  them  alive 
for  some  time  :  their  tails  are  very  singular  organs,  for  they  act, 
by  a  well-fitted  contrivance,  as  suckers  or  organs  of  attachment, 
and  likewise  as  reservoirs  for  saliva,  or  some  such  fluid.  I  re- 
peatedly fed  them  on  raw  meat  ;  and  I  invariably  observed,  that 
every  now  and  then  the  extremity  of  the  tail  was  applied  to  the 
mouth,  and  a  drop  of  fluid  exuded  on  the  meat,  which  was  then 
in  the  act  of  being  consumed.  The  tail,  notwithstanding  so 
much  practice,  does  not  seem  to  be  able  to  find  its  way  to  the 
mouth  ;  at  least  the  neck  was  always  touched  first,  and  appa- 
rently as  a  guide. 


'nlT-  grefy  indebud  t0  Ml>-  Waterhouse  for  his  kindness  in  naming 
me  tins  and  many  other  insects,  and  in  giving  me  much  valuable  a&dst 


BOTANIC   GARDEN.  31 


When  we  were  at  Bahia,  an  elater  or  beetle  (Pyrophorus  lu- 
minosus,  Illig.)  seemed  the  most  common  luminous  insect.  The 
light  in  this  case  was  also  rendered  more  brilliant  by  irritation. 
I  amused  myself  one  day  by  observing-  the  springing  powers  of 
this  insect,  which  have  not,  as  it  appears  to  me,  been  properly 
described.*  The  elater,  when  placed  on  its  back  and  preparing 
to  spring,  moved  its  head  and  thorax  backwards,  so  that  the 
pectoral  spine  was  drawn  out,  and  rested  on  the  edge  of  its 
sheath.  The  same  backward  movement  being  continued,  the 
spine,  by  the  full  action  of  the  muscles,  was  bent  like  a  spring ; 
and  the  insect  at  this  moment  rested  on  the  extremity  of  its  head 
and  wing-cases.  The  effort  being  suddenly  relaxed,  the  head 
and  thorax  flew  up,  and  in  consequence,  the  base  of  the  wing- 
cases  struck  the  supporting  surface  with  such  force,  that  the 
insect  by  the  reaction  was  jerked  upwards  to  the  height  of  one 
or  two  inches.  The  projecting  points  of  the  thorax,  and  the 
sheath  of  the  spine,  served  to  steady  the  whole  body  during  the 
spring.  In  the  descriptions  which  I  have  read,  sufficient  stress 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  laid  on  the  elasticity  of  the  spine : 
so  sudden  a  spring  could  not  be  the  result  of  simple  muscular 
contraction,  without  the  aid  of  some  mechanical  contrivance. 

On  several  occasions  I  enjoyed  some  short  but  most  pleasant 
excursions  in  the  neighbouring  country.  One  day  I  went  to 
the  Botanic  Garden,  where  many  plants,  well  known  for  their 
great  utility,  might  be  seen  growing.  The  leaves  of  the  cam- 
phor, pepper,  cinnamon,  and  clove  trees  were  delightfully  aro- 
matic ;  and  the  bread-fruit,  the  jaca,  and  the  mango,  vied  with 
each  other  in  the  magnificence  of  their  foliage.  The  landscape 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bahia  almost  takes  its  character  from 
the  two  latter  trees.  Before  seeing  them,  I  had  no  idea  that 
any  trees  could  cast  so  black  a  shade  on  the  ground.  Both  oi 
them  bear  to  the  evergreen  vegetation  of  these  climates  the  same 
kind  of  relation  which  laurels  and  hollies  in  England  do  to  the 
lighter  green  of  the  deciduous  trees.  It  may  be  observed,  that 
the  houses  within  the  tropics  are  surrounded  by  the  most  beau- 
tiful  forms  of  vegetation,  because  many  of  them  are  at  the  same 

*  Kirby's  Entomology,  vol.  ii.,  p.  317, 


32  RIO   DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

time  most  useful  to  man.  Who  can  doubt  that  these  qualities 
are  united  in  the  banana,  the  cocoa-nut,  the  many  kinds  of  palm, 
the  orange,  and  the  bread-fruit  tree  ? 

During  this  day  I  was  particularly  struck  with  a  remark  oi 
Humboldt's,  who  often  alludes  to  "  the  thin  vapour  which,  with- 
out changing  the  transparency  of  the  air,  renders  its  tints  more 
harmonious,  and  softens  its  effects."  This  is  an  appearance 
which  I  have  never  observed  in  the  temperate  zones.  The  at- 
mosphere, seen  through  a  short  space  of  half  or  three  quarters? 
of  a  mile,  was  perfectly  lucid,  but  at  a  greater  distance  all 
colours  were  blended  into  a  most  beautiful  haze,  of  a  pale  French 
grey,  mingled  with  a  little  blue.  The  condition  of  the  atmos- 
phere between  the  morning  and  about  noon,  when  the  effect 
was  most  evident,  had  undergone  little  change,  excepting  in  irs 
dryness.  In  the  interval,  the  difference  between  the  dew  point 
and  temperature  had  increased  from  7°.5  to  17°. 

On  another  occasion  I  started  early  and  walked  tr  the  Gavia, 
or  topsail  mountain.  The  air  was  delightfully  cool  and  fra- 
grant ;  and  the  drops  of  dew  still  glittered  on  the  leaves  of  the 
large  liliaceous  plants,  which  shaded  the  streamlets  of  clear 
water.  Sitting  down  on  a  block  of  granite,  it  was  delightful  to 
v/atch  the  various  insects  and  birds  as  they  flew  past.  The 
humming-bird  seems  particularly  fond  of  such  shady  retired 
spots.  Whenever  I  saw  these  little  creatures  buzzing  round  a 
flower,  with  their  wings  vibrating  so  rapidly  as  to  be  scarcely 
visible,  I  was  reminded  of  the  sphinx  moths :  their  movements 
and  habits  are  indeed  in  many  respects  very  similar. 

Following  a  pathway  I  entered  a  noble  forest,  and  from  a 
height  of  five  or  six  hundred  feet,  one  of  those  splendid  views 
was  presented,  which  are  so  common  on  every  side  of  Rio.  At 
this  elevation  the  landscape  attains  its  most  brilliant  tint ;  and 
every  form,  every  shade,  so  completely  surpasses  in  magnificence 
all  that  the  European  has  ever  beheld  in  his  own  country,  that 
he  knows  not  how  to  express  his  feelings.  The  general  effect 
frequently  recalled  to  my  mind  the  gayest  scenery  of  the  Opera- 
house  or  the  great  theatres.  I  never  returned  from  these  excur« 
pions  empty  handed.  This  day  I  found  a  specimen  of  a  curious- 
fungus,  called  Hymenophallus.  Most  people  know  the  English 
Phallus,  which  in  autumn  taints  the  air  with  its  odious  srncll 


1832.]  BUTTERFLIES.  33 

this,  however,  as  the  entomologist  is  aware,  is  to  some  of  our 
beetles  a  delightful  fragrance.  So  was  it  here ;  for  a  Strongylus. 
attracted  by  the  odour,  alighted  on  the  fungus  as  I  carried  ;  in 
my  hand.  We  here  see  in  two  distant  countries  a  similar  rela- 
tion between  plants  and  insects  of  the  same  families,  though  tht 
species  of  both  are  different.  When  man  is  the  agent  in  intro- 
ducing into  a  country  a  new  species,  this  relation  is  often 
broken :  as  one  instance  of  this  I  may  mention,  that  the  leaves 
of  the  cabbages  and  lettuces,  which  in  England  afford  food  to 
such  a  multitude  of  slugs  and  caterpillars,  in  the  gardens  near 
Rio  are  untouched. 

Difring  our  stay  at  Brazil  I  made  a  large  collection  of  insects. 
A  few  general  observations  on  the  comparative  importance  of 
the  different  orders  may  be  interesting  to  the  English  entomolo- 
gist. The  large  and  brilliantly-coloured  Lepidoptera  bespeak 
the  zone  they  inhabit,  far  more  plainly  than  any  other  race  of 
animals.  I  allude  only  to  the  butterflies  ;  for  the  moths,  con- 
trary to  what  might  have  been  expected  from  the  rankness  of  the 
vegetation,  certainly  appeared  in  much  fewer  numbers  than  in 
our  own  temperate  regions.  I  was  much  surprised  at  the 
habits  of  Papilio  feronia.  This  butterfly  is  not  uncommon,  and 
generally  frequents  the  orange-groves.  Although  a  high  flier, 
yet  it  very  frequently  alights  on  the  trunks  of  trees.  On  these 
occasions  its  head  is  invariably  placed  downwards  ;  and  its  wings 
are  expanded  in  a  horizontal  plane,  instead  of  being  folded  verti- 
cally, as  is  commonly  the  case.  This  is  the  only  butterfly  which 
I  have  ever  seen,  that  uses  its  legs  for  running.  Not  being 
aware  of  this  fact,  the  insect,  more  than  once,  as  I  cautiously 
approached  with  my  forceps,  shuffled  on  one  side  just  as  the  in- 
strument was  on  the  point  of  closing,  and  thus  escaped.  But  a 
far  more  singular  fact  is  the  power  which  this  species  possesses 
of  making  a  noise.*  Several  times  when  a  pair,  probably  male 

*  Mr.  Doubleday  has  lately  described  (before  the  Entomological  Society, 
March  3rd,  1845)  a  peculiar  structure  in  the  wings  of  this  butterfly,  which 
seems  to  be  the  means  of  its  making  its  noise.  He  says,  "  It  is  remarkable 
for  having  a  sort  of  drum  at  the  base  of  the  fore  wings,  between  the  costal 
uervure  and  the  subcostal.  These  two  nervures,  moreover,  have  a  peculiar 
screw-like  diaphragm  or  vessel  in  the  interior."  I  find  in  Langsdorff's 
travels  (in  the  years  1803-7,  p.  74)  it  is  said,  that  in  the  island  of  St.  Cathe- 
rine's on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  a  butterfly  called  Februa  Hoffmanseggi,  makes 
a  noise,  when  flying  away,  like  a  rattle. 


84  RIO  DE   JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

and  female,  were  chasing  each  other  in  an  irregular  course, 
they  passed  within  a  few  yards  of  me ;  and  I  distinctly  heard 
a  clicking  noise,  similar  to  that  produced  by  a  toothed 
wheel  passing  under  a  spring  catch.  The  noise  was  conti- 
nued at  short  intervals,  and  could  be  distinguished  at  about 
twenty  yards'  distance  :  I  am  certain  there  is  no  error  in  the 
observation. 

I  was  disappointed  in  the  general  aspect  of  the  Coleoptersu 
The  number  of  minute  and  obscurely-coloured  beetles  is  exceed- 
ingly great.*  The  cabinets  of  Europe  can,  as  yet,  boast  only  of 
the  larger  species  from  tropical  climates.  It  is  sufficient  to 
disturb  the  composure  of  an  entomologist's  mind,  to  look  fofVard 
to  the  future  dimensions  of  a  complete  catalogue.  The  carnivorous 
beetles,  or  Carabidae,  appear  in  extremely  few  numbers  within  the 
tropics :  this  is  the  more  remarkable  when  compared  to  the  case 
of  the  carnivorous  quadrupeds,  which  are  so  abundant  in  hot 
countries.  I  was  struck  with  this  observation  both  on  entering 
Brazil,  and  when  I  saw  the  many  elegant  and  active  forms  of 
the  Harpalidae  re-appearing  on  the  temperate  plains  of  La  Plata. 
Do  the  very  numerous  spiders  and  rapacious  Hymenoptera  sup- 
ply the  place  of  the  carnivorous  beetles  ?  The  carrion-feeders 
and  Brachelytera  are  very  uncommon  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the 
Rhyncophora  and  Chrysomelidae,  all  of  which  depend  on  the 
vegetable  world  for  subsistence,  are  present  in  astonishing  num- 
bers. I  do  not  here  refer  to  the  number  of  different  species,  but 
to  that  of  the  individual  Insects ;  for  on  this  it  is  that  the  most 
striking  character  in  the  entomology  of  different  countries  de- 
pends. The  orders  Orthoptera  and  Hemiptera  are  particularly 
numerous ;  as  likewise  is  the  stinging  division  of  the  Hymeno- 
ptera; the  bees,  perhaps,  being  excepted.  A  person,  on  first 
entering  a  tropical  forest,  is  astonished  at  the  labours  of  the  ants  : 
well-beaten  paths  branch  off  in  every  direction,  on  which  an 
army  of  never-failing  foragers  may  be  seen,  some  going  forth, 

*  I  may  mention,  as  a  common  instance  of  one  day's  (June  23rd)  collect- 
ing, when  I  was  not  attending  particularly  to  the  Coleoptera,  that  I  caught 
sixty-eight  species  of  that  order.  Among  these,  there  were  only  two  of  the 
Carabidae,  four  Brachelytra,  fifteen  Rhyncophora,  and  fourteen  of  the  Chry- 
somelidse.  Thirty-seven  species  of  Arachnidse,  which  I  brought  home,  wil/ 
De  sufficient  to  prove  that  I  was  not  paying  overmuch  attention  to  the  gene 
rally  favoured  order  of  Coleoptera. 


1832.]  SWARM   OF   ANTS.  35 

and  others  returning,  burdened  with  pieces  of  green  leaf,  often 
larger  than  their  own  bodies. 

A  small  dark-coloured  ant  sometimes  migrates  in  counties* 
numbers.  One  day,  at  Bahia,  my  attention  was  drawn  by  ob- 
serving many  spiders,  cockroaches,  and  other  insects,  and  some 
lizards,  rushing  in  the  greatest  agitation  across  a  bare  piece  oi 
ground.  A  little  way  behind,  every  stalk  and  leaf  was  blackened 
by  a  small  ant.  The  swarm  having  crossed  the  bare  space, 
divided  itself,  and  descended  an  old  wall.  By  this  means  many 
insects  were  fairly  enclosed  ;  and  the  efforts  which  the  poor  little 
creatures  made  to  extricate  themselves  from  such  a  death  were 
wonderful.  When  the  ants  came  to  the  road  they  changed  their 
course,  and  in  narrow  files  reascended  the  wall.  Having  placed 
a  small  stone  so  as  to  intercept  one  of  the  lines,  the  whole  body 
attacked  it,  and  then  immediately  retired.  Shortly  afterwards 
another  body  came  to  the  charge,  and  again  having  failed  to 
make  any  impression,  this  line  of  march  was  entirely  given  up. 
By  going  an  inch  round,  the  file  might  have  avoided  the  stone, 
and  this  doubtless  would  have  happened,  if  it  had  been  originally 
there  :  but  having  been  attacked,  the  lion-hearted  little  warriors 
scorned  the  idea  of  yielding. 

Certain  wasp-like  insects,  which  construct  in  the  corners  of  the 
verandahs  clay  cells  for  their  larvae,  are  very  numerous  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Rio.  These  cells  they  stuff  full  of  half-dead 
spiders  and  caterpillars,  which  they  seem  wonderfully  to  know 
how  to  sting  to  that  degree  as  to  leave  them  paralysed  but  alive, 
until  their  eggs  are  hatched  ;  and  the  larvae  feed  on  the  horrid 
mass  of  powerless,  half-killed  victims — a  sight  which  has  been 
described  by  an  enthusiastic  naturalist  *  as  curious  and  pleasing ! 
I  was  much  interested  one  day  by  watching  a  deadly  contest 
between  a  Pepsis  and  a  large  spider  of  the  genus  Lycosa.  The 
wasp  made  a  sudden  dash  at  its  prey,  and  then  flew  away :  the 
spider  was  evidently  wounded,  for,  trying  to  escape,  it  rolled  down 
a  little  slope,  but  had  still  strength  sufficient  to  crawl  into  a 
thick  tuft  of  grass.  The  wasp  soon  returned,  and  seemed  sur- 

»  In  a  MS.  in  the  British  Museum  by  Mr.  Abbott,  who  made  his  observ- 
ations in  Georgia;  see  Mr.  A.  White's  paper  in  the  '  Annals  of  Nat.  Hist., 
vol.  vii.  p.  472.  Lieut.  Button  has  described  a  sphex  with  similar  habits  ill 
India,  in  the  '  Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society,'  fol.  i..  p.  555. 


RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAP,  n 


prised  at  not  immediately  finding  its  victim.  It  then  commenced 
as  regular  a  hunt  as  ever  hound  did  after  fox  ;  making  short 
semicircular  casts,  and  all  the  time  rapidly  vibrating  its  wings 
and  antennae.  The  spider,  though  well  concealed,  was  soon  dis- 
covered ;  and  the  wasp,  evidently  still  afraid  of  its  adversary's 
jaws,  after  much  manoeuvring,  inflicted  two  stings  on  the  under 
side  of  its  thorax.  At  last,  carefully  examining  with  its  antennae 
the  now  motionless  spider,  it  proceeded  to  drag  away  the  body. 
But  I  stopped  both  tyrant  and  prey.* 

The  number  of  spiders,  in  proportion  to  other  insects,  is  here 
compared  with  England  very  much  larger;  perhaps  more  »o 
than  with  any  other  division  of  the  articulate  animals.  The 
variety  of  species  among  the  jumping  spiders  appears  almost 
infinite.  The  genus,  or  rather  family  of  Epeira,  is  here  charac- 
terized by  many  singular  forms  ;  some  species  have  pointed  coria- 
ceous shells,  others  enlarged  and  spiny  tibiae.  Every  path  in  the 
forest  is  barricaded  with  the  strong  yellow  web  of  a  species, 
belonging  to  the  same  division  with  the  Epeira  clavipes  of  Fa- 
bricius,  which  was  formerly  said  by  Sloane  to  make,  in  the  West 
Indies,  webs  so  strong  as  to  catch  birds.  A  small  and  pretty 
kind  of  spider,  with  very  long  fore-legs,  and  which  appears  to 
belong  to  an  undescribed  genus,  lives  as  a  parasite  on  almost 
every  one  of  these  webs.  I  suppose"  it  is  too  insignificant  to  be 
noticed  by  the  great  Epeira,  and  is  therefore  allowed  to  prey  on 
the  minute  insects,  which,  adhering  to  the  lines,  would,  otherwise 
be  wasted.  When  frightened,  this  little  spider  either  feigns 
death  by  extending  its  front  legs,  or  suddenly  drops  from  the 
web.  A  large  Epeira  of  the  same  division  with  Epeira  tubercu- 
lata  and  conica  is  extremely  common,  especially  in  dry  situations. 
Its  web,  which  is  generally  placed  among  the  great  leaves  of  the 
common  agave,  is  sometimes  strengthened  near  the  centre  by  a 
pair  or  even  four  zigzag  ribbons,  which  connect  two  adjoining 
rays.  When  any  large  insect,  as  a  grasshopper  or  wasp,  is 
caught,  the  spider,  by  a  dexterous  movement,  makes  it  revolve 
very  rapidly,  and  at  the  same  time  emitting  a  band  of  threads 

«  Don  Felix  Azara  (vol.  i.,  p.  175),  mentioning  a  hymenopterous  Insect, 
probably  of  the  same  genus,  says,  he  saw  it  dragging  a  dead  spider  through 
tall  grass,  in  a  straight  line  to  its  nest,  which  was  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  paces  distant.  He  adds  that  the  wasp,  in  order  to  find  the  road,  every 
now  and  then  made  "  demi-tours  d'environ  trois  palmes." 


1832.]  SPIDERS.  37 

from  its  spinners,  soon  envelops  its  prey  in  a  case  like  the  cocoon 
of  a  silkworm.  The  spider  now  examines  the  powerless  victim, 
and  gives  the  fatal  bite  on  the  hinder  part  of  its  thorax ;  then 
retreating,  patiently  waits  till  the  poison  has  taken  effect.  The 
virulence  of  this  poison  may  be  judged  of  from  the  fact  that  in 
half  a  minute  I  opened  the  mesh,  and  found  a  large  wasp  quite 
lifeless.  This  Epeira  always  stands  with  its  head  downwards 
near  the  centre  of  the  web.  When  disturbed,  it  acts  differently 
according  to  circumstances :  if  there  is  a  thicket  below,  it 
suddenly  falls  down  ;  and  I  have  distinctly  seen  the  thread  from 
the  spinners  lengthened  by  the  animal  while  yet  stationary,  as 
preparatory  to  its  fall.  If  the  ground  is  clear  beneath,  the  Epeira 
seldom  falls,  but  moves  quickly  through  a  central  passage  from 
one  to  the  other  side.  When  still  further  disturbed,  it  practises 
a  most  curious  manoeuvre  :  standing  in  the  middle,  it  violently 
jerks  the  w<;b,  which  is  attached  to  elastic  twigs,  till  at  last  the 
whole  acquires  such  a  rapid  vibratory  movement,  that  even  the 
outline  of  the  spider's  body  becomes  indistinct. 

It  is  well  known  that  most  of  the  British  spiders,  when  a  large 
insect  is  caught  in  their  webs,  endeavour  to  cut  the  lines  and 
liberate  their  prey,  to  save  their  nets  from  being  entirely  spoiled. 
I  once,  however,  saw  in  a  hot-house  in  Shropshire  a  large  female 
wasp  caught  in  the  irregular  web  of  a  quite  small  spider;  and 
this  spider,  instead  of  cutting  the  web,  most  perseveringly  con- 
tinued to  entangle  the  body,  and  especially  the  wings,  of  its 
prey.  The  wasp  at  first  aimed  in  vain  repeated  thrusts  with 
its  sting  at  its  little  antagonist.  Pitying  the  wasp,  after  allow- 
ing it  to  struggle  for  more  than  an  hour,  I  killed  it  and  put 
it  back  into  the  web.  The  spider  soon  returned ;  and  an 
hour  afterwards  I  was  much  surprised  to  find  it  with  its  jaws 
buried  in  the  orifice,  through  which  the  sting  is  protruded  by 
the  living  wasp.  I  drove  the  spider  away  two  or  three  times, 
but  for  the  next  twenty-four  hours  I  always  found  it  again 
sucking  at  the  same  place.  The  spider  became  much  distended 
by  the  juices  of  its  prey,  which  was  many  times  larger  than 
itself. 

I  may  here  just  mention,  that  I  found,  near  St.  Fe  Bajada, 
many  large  black  spiders,  with  ruby  coloured  marks  on  their 
backs,  having  gregarious  habits.  The  webs  were  placed  verti- 


38  RIO   DE   JANEIRO.  [CRAP.  n. 

cally,  as  is  invariably  the  case  with  the  genus  Epeira :  they  were 
separated  from  each  other  by  a  space  of  about  two  feet,  but  were 
all  attached  to  certain  common  lines,  which  were  of  great  length, 
and  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  community.  In  this  manner  the 
tops  of  some  large  bushes  were  encompassed  by  the  united  nets. 
Azara*  has  described  a  gregarious  spider  in  Paraguay,  which 
Walckenaer  thinks  must  be  a  Theridion,  but  probably  it  is  an 
Epeira,  and  perhaps  even  the  same  species  with  mine.  I  cannot, 
however,  recollect  seeing  a  central  nest  as  large  as  a  hat,  in 
which,  during  autumn,  when  the  spiders  die,  Azara  says  the  eggs 
are  deposited.  As  all  the  spiders  which  I  saw  were  of  the  same 
size,  they  must  have  been  nearly  of  the  same  age.  This  gre- 
garious habit,  in  so  typical  a  genus  as  Epeira,  among  insects, 
which  are  so  bloodthirsty  and  solitary  that  even  the  two  sexes  at- 
tack each  other,  is  a  very  singular  fact. 

In  a  lofty  valley  of  the  Cordillera,  near  Mendoza,  I  found 
another  spider  with  a  singularly-formed  web.  Strong  lines 
radiated  in  a  vertical  plane  from  a  common  centre,  where  the 
insect  had  its  station  ;  but  only  two  of  the  rays  were  connected 
by  a  symmetrical  mesh-work  ;  so  that  the  net,  instead  of  being,  at 
is  generally  the  case,  circular,  consisted  of  a  wedge-shaped  seg- 
ment. All  the  webs  were  similarly  constructed. 

*  Azara's  Voyage,  vol.  L,  p.  213. 


[1832.  ESTUARY   OF   THE  PLATA.  39 


CHAPTER  III. 

Monte  Video — Maldonado — Excursion  to  R.  Polanco — Lazo  and  Bolas — 
Partridges — Absence  of  Trees — Deer — Capybara,  or  River  Hog — Tucu- 
tuco — Molothrus,  cuckoo-like  habits — Tyrant-flycatcher — Mocking-bird 
—  Carrion  Hawks — Tubes  formed  by  Lightning — House  struck. 

MALDONADO. 

July  5th,  1832. — IN  the  morning  we  got  under  way,  and 
stood  out  of  the  splendid  harbour  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  In  our 
passage  to  the  Plata,  we  saw  nothing  particular,  excepting  on 
one  day  a  great  shoal  of  porpoises,  many  hundreds  in  number. 
The  whole  sea  was  in  places  furrowed  by  them ;  and  a  most 
extraordinary  spectacle  was  presented,  as  hundreds,  proceeding 
together  by  jumps,  in  which  their  whole  bodies  were  exposed, 
thus  cut  the  water.  When  the  ship  was  running  nine  knots  an 
hour,  these  animals  could  cross  and  recross  the  bows  with  the 
greatest  ease,  and  then  dash  away  right  ahead.  As  soon  as  we 
entered  the  estuary  of  the  Plata,  the  weather  was  very  unsettled. 
One  dark  night  we  were  surrounded  by  numerous  seals  and 
penguins,  which  made  such  strange  noises,  that  the  officer  on 
watch  reported  he  could  hear  the  cattle  bellowing  on  shore. 
On  a  second  night  we  witnessed  a  splendid  scene  of  natural  fire- 
works; the  mast-head  and  yard-arm-ends  shone  with  St.  Elmo's 
light ;  and  the  form  of  the  vane  could  almost  be  traced,  as  if  it 
had  been  rubbed  with  phosphorus.  The  sea  was  so  highly  lumi- 
nous, that  the  tracks  of  the  penguins  were  marked  by  a  fiery 
wake,  and  the  darkness  of  the  sky  was  momentarily  illuminated 
by  the  most  vivid  lightning. 

When  within  the  mouth  of  the  river,  I  was  interested  by  ob- 
serving how  slowly  the  waters  of  the  sea  and  river  mixed.  The 
latter,  muddy  and  discoloured,  from  its  less  specific  gravity, 
floated  on  the  surface  of  the  salt  water.  This  was  curiously 
exhibited  in  the  wake  of  the  vessel,  where  a  line  of  blue  watej 
was  seen  mingling  in  little  eddies,  with  the  adjoining  fluid. 
4 


40  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

July  2Qth.— We  anchored  at  Monte  Video.  The  Beagle  was 
employed  in  surveying  the  extreme  southern  and  eastern  coasts 
of  America,  south  of  the  Plata,  during  the  two  succeeding  years. 
To  prevent  useless  repetitions,  I  will  extract  those  parts  of  my 
journal  which  refer  to  the  same  districts,  without  always  attend- 
ing to  the  order  in  which  we  visited  them. 

MALDONADO  is  situated  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Plata, 
and  not  very  far  from  the  mouth  of  the  estuary.  It  is  a  most 
quiet,  forlorn,  little  town ;  built,  as  is  universally  the  case  in 
these  countries,  with  the  streets  running  at  right  angles  to  each 
other,  and  having  in  the  middle  a  large  plaza  or  square,  which, 
from  its  size,  renders  the  scantiness  of  the  population  more  evi- 
dent. It  possesses  scarcely  any  trade ;  the  exports  being  con- 
fined to  a  few  hides  and  living  cattle.  The  inhabitants  are  chiefly 
landowners,  together  with  a  few  shopkeepers  and  the  neces- 
sary tradesmen,  such  as  blacksmiths  and  carpenters,  who  do  nearly 
all  the  business  for  a  circuit  of  fifty  miles  round.  The  town  is 
separated  from  the  river  by  a  band  of  sand-hillocks,  about  a  mile 
broad :  it  is  surrounded,  on  all  other  sides,  by  an  open  slightly- 
undulating  country,  covered  by  one  uniform  layer  of  fine  green 
turf,  on  which  countless  herds  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses  graze. 
There  is  very  little  land  cultivated  even  close  to  the  town.  A 
few  hedges,  made  of  cacti  and  agave,  mark  out  where  some  wheat 
or  Indian  corn  has  been  planted.  The  features  of  the  country 
are  very  similar  along  the  whole  northern  bank  of  the  Plata. 
The  only  difference  is,  that  here  the  granitic  hills  are  a  little 
bolder.  The  scenery  is  very  uninteresting ;  there  is  scarcely  a 
house,  an  enclosed  piece  of  ground,  or  even  a  tree,  to  give  it  an 
air  of  cheerfulness.  Yet,  after  being  imprisoned  for  some  time 
in  a  ship,  there  is  a  charm  in  the  unconfined  feeling  of  walking 
over  boundless  plains  of  turf.  Moreover,  if  your  view  is  limited 
to  a  small  space,  many  objects  possess  beauty.  Some  of  the 
smaller  birds  are  brilliantly  coloured  ;  and  the  bright  green 
sward,  browsed  short  by  the  cattle,  is  ornamented  by  dwarf 
flowers,  among  which  a  plant,  looking  like  the  daisy,  claimed 
the  place  of  an  old  friend.  What  would  a  florist  say  to  whole 
tracts  so  thickly  covered  by  the  Verbena  melindres,  as,  even  at  a 
distance,  to  appear  of  the  most  gaudy  scarlet  ? 

T  staid  ten  weeks  at  Maldonado,  in  which  time  a  nearly  perfect 


1832.]  IGNORANCE   OF  THE   PEOPLE.  41 

collection  of  the  animals,  birds,  and  reptiles,  was  procured. 
Before  making1  any  observations  respecting  them,  I  will  give  an 
account  of  a  little  excursion  I  made  as  far  as  the  river  Polanco, 
which  is  about  seventy  miles  distant,  in  a  northerly  direction. 
I  may  mention,  as  a  proof  how  cheap  everything  is  in  this 
country,  that  I  paid  only  two  dollars  a  day,  or  eight  shillings, 
for  two  men,  together  with  a  troop  of  about  a  dozen  riding- 
horses.  My  companions  were  well  armed  with  pistols  and 
sabres ;  a  precaution  which  I  thought  rather  unnecessary ;  but 
the  first  piece  of  news  we  heard  was,  that,  the  day  before,  a  tra- 
veller from  Monte  Video  had  been  found  dead  on  the  road,  with 
his  throat  cut.  This  happened  close  1o  a  cross,  the  record  of  a 
former  murder. 

On  the  first  night  we  slept  at  a  retired  little  country-house ; 
nd  there  I  soon  found  out  that  I  possessed  two  or  three  articles, 
especially  a  pocket  compass,  which  created  unbounded  astonish- 
ment. In  every  house  I  was  asked  to  show  the  compass,  and  by 
its  aid,  together  with  a  map,  to  point  out  the  direction  of  various 
places.  It  excited  the  liveliest  admiration  that  I,  a  perfect 
stranger,  should  know  the  road  (for  direction  and  road  are  syno- 
nymous in  this  open  country)  to  places  where  I  had  never  been. 
At  one  house  a  young  woman,  who  was  ill  in  bed,  sent  to  entreat 
me  to  come  and  show  her  the  compass.  If  their  surprise  was 
great,  mine  was  greater,  to  find  such  ignorance  among  people 
who  possessed  their  thousands  of  cattle,  and  "  estancias  "  of  great 
extent.  It  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  circumstance  that 
this  retired  part  of  the  country  is  seldom  visited  by  foreigners. 
I  was  asked  whether  the  earth  or  sun  moved ;  whether  it  \cas 
hotter  or  colder  to  the  north  ;  where  Spain  was,  and  many  other 
such  questions.  The  greater  number  of  the  inhabitants  had  an 
indistinct  idea  that  England,  London,  and  North  America,  were 
different  names  for  the  same  place  ;  but  the  better  informed  well 
knew  that  London  and  North  America  were  separate  countries 
^lose  together,  and  that  England  was  a  large  town  in  London ! 
I  carried  with  me  some  promethean  matches,  which  I  ignited  by 
biting ;  it  was  thought  so  wonderful  that  a  man  should  strike 
fire  with  his  teeth,  that  it  was  usual  to  collect  the  whole  family 
to  see  it :  I  was  once  offered  a  dollar  for  a  single  one.  Washing 
tny  face  in  the  morning  caused  much  speculation  at  the  village 


42  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

of  Las  Minas  ;  a  superior  tradesman  closely  cross- questioned  me 
about  so  singular  a  practice ;  and  likewise  why  on  board  we 
wore  our  beards ;  for  he  had  heard  from  my  guide  that  we  did 
so.  He  eyed  me  with  much  suspicion  ;  perhaps  he  had  heard  of 
ablutions  in  the  Mahomedan  religion,  and  knowing  me  to  be  a 
heretick,  probably  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  all  hereticks 
were  Turks.  It  is  the  general  custom  in  this  country  to  ask  for 
a  night's  lodging  at  the  first  convenient  house.  The  astonish- 
ment at  the  compass,  and  my  other  feats  in  jugglery,  was  to  a 
certain  degree  advantageous,  as  with  that,  and  the  long  stories 
my  guides  told  of  my  breaking  stones,  knowing  venomous  from 
harmless  snakes,  collecting  insects,  &c.,  I  repaid  them  for  their 
hospitality.  I  am  writing  as  if  I  had  been  among  the  inhabit- 
ants of  central  Africa :  Banda  Oriental  would  not  be  flattered 
by  the  comparison ;  but  such  were  my  feelings  at  the  time. 

The  next  day  we  rode  to  the  village  of  Las  Minas.  The 
country  was  rather  more  hilly,  but  otherwise  continued  the  same ; 
an  inhabitant  of  the  Pampas  no  doubt  would  have  considered  it 
as  truly  Alpine.  The  country  is  so  thinly  inhabited,  that 
during  the  whole  day  we  scarcely  met  a  single  person.  Las  Minas 
is  much  smaller  even  than  Maldonado.  It  is  seated  on  a  little 
plain,  and  is  surrounded  by  low  rocky  mountains.  It  is  of  the 
usual  symmetrical  form ;  and  with  its  whitewashed  church 
standing  in  the  centre,  had  rather  a  pretty  appearance.  The 
outskirting  houses  rose  out  of  the  plain  like  isolated  beings, 
without  the  accompaniment  of  gardens  or  courtyards.  This  is 
generally  the  case  in  the  country,  and  all  the  houses  have,  in 
consequence,  an  uncomfortable  aspect.  At  night  we  stopped  at 
a  pulprria,  or  drinking-shop.  During  the  evening  a  great  num- 
ber of  Gauchos  came  in  to  drink  spirits  and  smoke  cigars :  their 
appearance  is  very  striking ;  they  are  generally  tall  and  hand- 
some, but  with  a  proud  and  dissolute  expression  of  countenance. 
They  frequently  wear  their  moustaches,  and  long  black  hair 
curling  down  their  backs.  With  their  brightly-coloured  gar- 
ments, great  spurs  clanking  about  their  heels,  and  knives  stuck 
as  daggers  (and  often  so  used)  at  their  waists,  they  look  a  very 
different  race  of  men  from  what  might  be  expected  from  their 
name  of  Gauchos,  or  simple  countrymen.  Their  politeness  is 
excessive ;  they  never  drink  their  spirits  without  expecting  you 


1832.]  POINTS   OF  ETIQUETTE.  43 

to  taste  it ;  but  M  hilst  making  their  exceedingly  graceful  bow, 
they  seem  quite  as  ready,  if  occasion  offered,  to  cut  your  throat. 

On  the  third  day  we  pursued  rather  an  irregular  course,  as  1 
was  employed  in  examining  some  beds  of  marble.  On  the  fine 
plains  of  turf  we  saw  many  ostriches  (Struthio  rhea).  Some  of  the 
flocks  contained  as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty  birds.  These,  when 
standing  on  any  little  eminence,  and  seen  against  the  clear  &ky, 
presented  a  very  noble  appearance.  I  never  met  with  such  tame 
ostriches  in  any  other  part  of  the  country  :  it  was  easy  to  gallop 
np  within  a  short  distance  of  them ;  but  then,  expanding  their 
wings,  they  made  all  sail  right  before  the  wind,  and  soon  left  the 
horse  astern. 

At  night  we  came  to  the  house  of  Don  Juan  Fuentes,  a  rich 
landed  proprietor,  but  not  personally  known  to  either  of  my 
companions.  On  approaching  the  house  of  a  stranger,  it  is 
usual  to  follow  several  little  points  of  etiquette :  riding  up  slowly 
to  the  door,  the  salutation  of  Ave  Maria  is  given,  and  until 
somebody  comes  out  and  asks  you  to  alight,  it  is  not  customary 
even  to  get  off  your  horse :  the  formal  answer  of  the  owner  is, 
"  sin  pecado  concebida  " — that  is,  conceived  without  sin.  Having 
entered  the  house,  some  general  conversation  is  kept  up  for  a 
few  minutes,  till  permission  is  asked  to  pass  the  night  there. 
This  is  granted  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  stranger  then  takes 
his  meals  with  the  family,  and  a  room  is  assigned  him,  where 
with  the  horsecloths  belonging  to  his  recado  (or  saddle  of  the 
Pampas)  he  makes  his  bed.  It  is  curious  how  similar  circum- 
stances produce  such  similar  results  in  manners.  At  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  the  same  hospitality,  and  very  nearly  the  same 
points  of  etiquette,  are  universally  observed.  The  difference, 
however,  between  the  character  of  the  Spaniard  and  that  of  the 
Dutch  boor  is  shown,  by  the  former  never  asking  his  guest  a 
single  question  beyond  the  strictest  rule  of  politeness}  whilst  the 
honest  Dutchman  demands  where  he  has  been,  where  he  is  going, 
what  is  his  business,  and  even  how  many  brothers,  sisters,  or 
children  he  may  happen  to  have. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival  at  Don  Juan's,  one  of  the  large  herds 
of  cattle  was  driven  in  towards  the  house,  and  three  beasts  were 
picked  out  to  be  slaughtered  for  the  supply  of  the  establishment. 
These  half-wild  cattle  are  very  active ;  and  knowing  full  well 


44  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

the  fatal  lazo,  they  *ed  the  horses  a  long  and  laborious  chase. 
After  witnessing  the  rude  wealth  displayed  in  the  number  of 
cattle,  men,  and  horses,  Don  Juan's  miserable  house  was  quite 
curious.  The  floor  consisted  of  hardened  mud,  and  the  windows 
were  without  glass ;  the  sitting-room  boasted  only  of  a  few  of 
the  roughest  chairs  and  stools,  with  a  couple  of  tables.  The 
supper,  although  several  strangers  were  present,  consisted  of  two 
huge  piles,  one  of  roast  beef,  the  other  of  boiled,  with  some 
pieces  of  pumpkin  :  besides  this  latter  there  was  no  other  vege- 
table, and  not  even  a  morsel  of  bread.  For  drinking,  a  large 
earthenware  jug  of  water  served  the  whole  party.  Yet  this  man 
was  the  owner  of  several  square  miles  of  land,  of  which  nearly 
every  acre  would  produce  corn,  and,  with  a  little  trouble,  all  the 
common  vegetables.  The  evening  was  spent  in  smoking,  with  a 
little  impromptu  singing,  accompanied  by  the  guitar.  The  sig- 
noritas  all  sat  together  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  did  not 
sup  with  the  men. 

So  many  works  have  been  written  about  these  countries,  that 
it  is  almost  superfluous  to  describe  either  the  lazo  or  the  bolas. 
The  lazo  consists  of  a  very  strong,  but  thin,  well-plaited  rope, 
made  of  raw  hide.  One  end  is  attached  to  the  broad  surcingle, 
which  fastens  together  the  complicated  gear  of  the  recado,  or 
saddle  used  in  the  Pampas ;  the  other  is  terminated  by  a  small 
ring  of  iron  or  brass,  by  which  a  noose  can  be  formed.  The 
Gaucho,  when  he  is  going  to  use  the  lazo,  keeps  a  small  coil  in 
his  bridle-hand,  and  in  the  other  holds  the  running  noose,  which 
is  made  very  large,  generally  having  a  diameter  of  about  eight 
feet.  This  he  whirls  round  his  head,  and  by  the  dexterous  move- 
ment of  his  wrist  keeps  the  noose  open  ;  then,  throwing  it,  he 
causes  it  to  fall  on  any  particular  spot  he  chooses.  The  lazo, 
when  not  used,  is  tied  up  in  a  small  coil  to  the  after  part  of  the 
recado.  The  bolas,  or  balls,  are  of  two  kinds :  the  simplest, 
which  is  chiefly  used  for  catching  ostriches,  consists  of  two 
round  stones,  covered  with  leather,  and  united  by  a  thin  plaited 
thong,  about  eight  feet  long.  The  other  kind  differs  only  in 
having  three  balls  united  by  the  thongs  to  a  common  centre. 
The  Gaucho  holds  the  smallest  of  the  three  in  his  hand,  and 
whirls  the  other  two  round  and  round  his  head  ;  then,  taking 
aim,  sends  them  like  chain  shot  revolving  through  the  air.  The 


1832.]  THROWING   THE  BOLAS.  45 

balls  no  sooner  strike  any  object,  than,  winding  round  it,  they 
cross  each  other,  and  become  firmly  hitched.  The  size  and 
weight  of  the  balls  varies,  according  to  the  purpose  for  which 
they  are  made:  when  of  stone,  although  not  larger  than  au 
apple,  they  are  sent  with  such  force  as  sometimes  to  break  the 
leg  even  of  a  horse.  I  have  seen  the  balls  made  of  wood,  and  as 
large  as  a  turnip,  for  the  sake  of  catching  these  animals  without 
injuring  them.  The  balls  are  sometimes  made  of  iron,  and  these 
can  be  hurled  to  the  greatest  distance.  The  main  difficulty  in 
using  either  lazo  or  bolas  is  to  ride  so  well  as  to  be  able  at  full 
speed,  and  while  suddenly  turning  about,  to  whirl  them  so 
steadily  round  the  head,  as  to  take  aim :  on  foot  any  person 
would  soon  learn  the  art.  One  day,  as  I  was  amusing  myself 
by  galloping  and  whirling  the  balls  round  my  head,  by  accident 
the  free  one  struck  a  bush ;  and  its  revolving  motion  being  thus 
destroyed,  it  immediately  fell  to  the  ground,  and  like  magic 
caught  one  hind  leg  of  my  horse ;  the  other  ball  was  then  jerked 
out  of  my  hand,  and  the  horse  fairly  secured.  Luckily  he  was 
an  old  practised  animal,  and  knew  what  it  meant ;  otherwise  he 
would  probably  have  kicked  till  he  had  thrown  himself  down. 
The  Gauchos  roared  with  laughter ;  they  cried  out  that  they 
had  seen  every  sort  of  animal  caught,  but  had  never  before  seen 
a  man  caught  by  himself. 

During  the  two  succeeding  days,  I  reached  the  furthest  point 
which  I  was  anxious  to  examine.  The  country  wore  the  same 
aspect,  till  at  last  the  fine  green  turf  became  more  wearisome 
than  a  dusty  turnpike  road.  We  everywhere  saw  great  numbers 
of  partridges  (Nothura  major).  These  birds  do  not  go  in  coveys, 
nor  do  they  conceal  themselves  like  the  English  kind.  It  appears 
a  very  silly  bird.  A  man  on  horseback  by  riding  round  and 
round  in  a  circle,  or  rather  in  a  spire,  so  as  to  approach  closer 
each  time,  may  knock  on  the  head  as  many  as  he  pleases.  The 
rrore  common  method  is  to  catch  them  with  a  running  noose,  or 
little  lazo,  made  of  the  stem  of  an  ostrich's  feather,  fastened  to 
the  end  of  a  long  stick.  A  boy  on  a  quiet  old  horse  will  fre- 
quently thus  catch  thirty  or  forty  in  a  day.  In  Arctic  North 
America*  the  Indians  catch  the  Varying  Hare  by  walking  spirally 

*  Hearne's  Journey,  p.  383. 


46  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

round  and  round  it,  when  on  its  form :  the  middle  of  the  day 
is  reckoned  the  best  time,  when  the  sun  is  high,  and  the  shadow 
of  the  hunter  not  very  long. 

On  our  return  to  Maldonado,  we  followed  rather  a  different 
line  of  road.  Near  Pan  de  Azucar,  a  landmark  well  known  to 
all  those  who  have  sailed  up  the  Plata,  I  stayed  a  day  at  the 
house  of  a  most  hospitable  old  Spaniard.  Early  in  the  morning' 
we  ascended  the  Sierra  de  las  Animas.  By  the  aid  of  the  rising 
sun  the  scenery  was  almost  picturesque.  To  the  westward  the 
view  extended  over  an  immense  level  plain  as  far  as  the  Mount, 
at  Monte  Video,  and  to  the  eastward,  over  the  mamrnillaled 
country  of  Maldonado.  On  the  summit  of  the  mountain  there 
were  several  small  heaps  of  stones,  which  evidently  had  lain  there 
for  many  years.  My  companion  assured  me  that  they  were  the 
work  of  the  Indians  in  the  old  time.  The  heaps  were  similar, 
but  on  a  much  smaller  scale,  to  those  so  commonly  found  on  the 
mountains  of  Wales.  The  desire  to  signalize  any  event,  on  the 
highest  point  of  the  neighbouring  land,  seems  an  universal  pas- 
sion with  mankind.  At  the  present  day,  not  a  single  Indian, 
either  civilized  or  wild,  exists  in  this  part  of  the  province  ;  nor 
am  I  aware  that  the  former  inhabitants  have  left  behind  them 
any  more  permanent  records  than  these  insignificant  piles  on  the 
summit  of  the  Sierra  de  las  Animas. 

The  general,  and  almost  entire  absence  of  trees  in  Banda 
Oriental  is  remarkable.  Some  of  the  rocky  hills  are  partly  co- 
vered by  thickets,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  larger  streams,  espe- 
cially to  the  north  of  Las  Minas,  willow-trees  are  not  uncommon. 
Near  the  Arroyo  Tapes  I  heard  of  a  wood  of  palms ;  and  one  of 
these  trees,  of  considerable  size,  I  saw  near  the  Pan  de  Azucar, 
in  lat.  35°.  These,  and  the  trees  planted  by  the  Spaniards, 
offer  the  only  exceptions  to  the  general  scarcity  of  wood.  Among 
the  introduced  kinds  may  be  enumerated  poplars,  olives,  peach, 
and  other  fruit  trees:  the  peaches  succeed  so  well,  that  they 
afford  the  main  supply  of  firewood  to  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres. 
Extremely  level  countries,  such  as  the  Pampas,  seldom  appear 
favourable  to  the  growth  of  trees.  This  may  possibly  be  attri- 
buted either  to  the  force  of  the  winds,  or  the  kind  of  drainage. 
In  the  nature  of  the  land,  however,  around  Maldonado,  no  such 


1832.]  CLIMATE   AND  VEGETATION.  47 

reason  is  apparent ;  the  rocky  mountains  afford  protected  situa- 
tions, enjoying  various  kinds  of  soil ;  streamlets  of  water  are 
common  at  the  bottoms  of  nearly  every  valley  ;  and  the  clayey 
nature  of  the  earth  seems  adapted  to  retain  moisture.  It  has 
been  inferred  with  much  probability,  that  the  presence  of  wood- 
land is  generally  determined*  by  the  annual  amount  of  moisture ; 
yet  in  this  province  abundant  and  heavy  rain  falls  during  the 
winter ;  and  the  summer,  though  dry,  is  not  so  in  any  excessive 
degree.!  We  see  n?arly  the  whole  of  Australia  covered  by 
lofty  trees,  yet  that  country  possesses  a  far  more  arid  climate. 
Hence  we  must  look  to  some  other  and  unknown  cause. 

Confining  our  view  to  South  America,  we  should  certainly  be 
tempted  to  believe  that  trees  flourished  only  under  a  very  humid 
climate ;  for  the  limit  of  the  forest-land  follows,  in  a  most  re- 
markable manner, .  that  of  the  damp  winds.  In  the  southern 
part  of  the  continent,  where  the  western  gales,  charged  with 
moisture  from  the  Pacific,  prevail,  every  island  on  the  broken 
west  coast,  from  lat.  38°  to  the  extreme  point  of  Tierra  del 
Fuego,  is  densely  covered  by  unpenetrable  forests.  On  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Cordillera,  over  the  same  extent  of  latitude,  where  a 
blue  sky  and  a  fine  climate  prove  that  the  atmosphere  has  been 
deprived  of  its  moisture  by  passing  over  the  mountains,  the  arid 
plains  of  Patagonia  support  a  most  scanty  vegetation.  In  the 
more  northern  parts  of  the  continent,  within  the  limits  of  the 
constant  south-eastern  trade  wind,  the  eastern  side  is  ornamented 
by  magnificent  forests ;  whilst  the  western  coast,  from  lat.  4°  S. 
to  lat.  32°  S.,  may  be  described  as  a  desert :  on  this  western 
coast,  northward  of  lat.  4°  S.,  where  the  trade-wind  loses  its 
regularity,  and  heavy  torrents  of  rain  fall  periodically,  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific,  so  utterly  desert  in  Peru,  assume  near  Cape  Blanco 
tho  character  of  luxuriance  so  celebrated  at  Guyaquil  and  Pa- 
nama. Hence  in  the  southern  and  northern  parts  of  the  con- 
tinent, the  forest  and  desert  lands  occupy  reversed  positions  with 
respect  to  the  Cordillera,  and  these  positions  are  apparently  de- 
termined by  the  direction  of  the  prevalent  winds.  In  the  middle 
of  the  continent  there  is  a  broad  intermediate  band,  including 

*  Maclaren,  art. '  America,'  Encyclop.  Britann. 

T  Azara-says,  "  Je  crois  que  la  qnantite  annuelle  des  pluies  est,  dans  toutes 
oes  conlrees,  plus  considerable  qu'cn  Espagne." — Vol.  i.  p.  36. 


48  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  m. 

central  Chile  and  the  provinces  of  La  Plata,  where  the  rain- 
bringing  winds  have  not  to  pass  over  lofty  mountains,  and  where 
the  land  is  neither  a  desert  nor  covered  by  forests.  But  even 
the  rule,  if  confined  to  South  America,  of  trees  flourishing  only 
in  a  climate  rendered  humid  by  rain-bearing  winds,  has  a 
strongly  marked  exception  in  the  case  of  the  Falkland  Islands. 
These  islands,  situated  in  the  same  latitude  with  Tierra  del 
Fuego  and  only  between  two  and  three  hundred  miles  distant 
from  it,  having  a  nearly  similar  climate,  with  a  geological 
formation  almost  identical,  with  favourable  situations  arid  the 
same  kind  of  peaty  soil,  yet  can  boast  of  few  plants  deserving 
even  the  title  of  bushes ;  whilst  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  it  is  impos- 
sible to  find  an  acre  of  land  not  covered  by  the  densest  forest. 
In  this  case,  both  the  direction  of  the  heavy  gales  of  wind  and 
of  the  currents  of  the  sea  are  favourable  to  the  transport  of 
seeds  from  Tierra  del  Fuego,  as  is  shown  by  the  canoes  and 
trunks  of  trees  drifted  from  that  country,  and  frequently  thrown 
on  the  shores  of  the  Western  Falkland.  Hence  perhaps  it  is, 
that  there  are  many  plants  in  common  to  the  two  countries :  but 
with  respect  to  the  trees  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  even  attempts  made 
to  (.ra.ifplant  them  have  failed. 

Duruig  our  stay  at  Maldonado  I  collected  several  quadru- 
peds, eighty  kinds  of  birds,  and  many  reptiles,  including  nine 
species  of  snakes.  Of  the  indigenous  mammalia,  the  only  one 
now  left  of  any  size,  which  is  common,  is  the  Cervus  campestris. 
This  deer  is  exceedingly  abundant,  often  in  small  herds,  through- 
out the  countries  bordering  the  Plata  and  in  Northern  Pata- 
gonia. If  a  person  crawling  close  along  the  ground,  slowly 
advances  towards  a  herd,  the  deer  frequently,  out  of  curiosity, 
approach  to  reconnoitre  him.  I  have  by  this  means  killed,  from 
one  spot,  three  out  of  the  same  herd.  Although  so  tame  and 
inquisitive,  yet  when  approached  on  horseback,  they  are  exceed- 
ingly wary.  In  this  country  nobody  goes  on  foot,  and  the  deer 
knows  man  as  its  enemy  only  when  he  is  mounted  and  armed 
with  the  bolas.  At  Bahia  Blanca,  a  recent  establishment  in 
Northern  Patagonia,  I  was  surprised  to  find  how  little  the  deer 
cared  for  the  noise  of  a  gun :  one  day  I  fired  ten  times  from 
within  eighty  yards  at  one  animal;  and  it  was  much  more 
startled  at  the  ball  cutting  up  the  ground  than  at  the  report  of 


1832-3.]  THE  CAPYBARA   OR   WATER-HOG.  49 

the  rifle.  My  powder  being  exhausted,  I  was  obliged  to  get  up 
(to  my  shame  as  a  sportsman  be  it  spoken,  though  well  able  to 
kill  birds  on  the  wing)  and  halloo  till  the  deer  ran  away. 

The  most  curious  fact  with  respect  to  this  animal,  ia  the  ovcr- 
poweringly  strong  and  offensive  odour  which  proceeds  from  the 
buck.  It  is  quite  indescribable :  several  times  whilst  skinning 
the  specimen  which  is  now  mounted  at  the  Zoological  Museum, 
I  was  almost  overcome  by  nausea.  I  tied  up  the  skin  in  a  silk 
pocket-handkerchief,  and  so  carried  it  home  :  this  handkerchief, 
after  being  well  washed,  I  continually  used,  and  it  was  of  course 
as  repeatedly  washed  ;  yet  every  time,  for  a  space  of  one  year 
and  seven  months,  when  first  unfolded,  I  distinctly  perceived 
the  odour.  This  appears  an  astonishing  instance  of  the  perma- 
nence of  some  matter,  which  nevertheless  in  its  nature  must  be 
most  subtile  and  volatile.  Frequently,  when  passing  at  the 
distance  of  half  a  mile  to  leeward  of  a  herd,  I  have  perceived 
the  whole  air  tainted  with  the  effluvium.  I  believe  the  smell 
from  the  buck  is  most  powerful  at  the  period  when  its  horns  are 
perfect,  or  free  from  the  hairy  skin.  When  in  this  state  the 
meat  is,  of  course,  quite  uneatable ;  but  the  Gauchos  assert,  that 
if  buried  for  some  time  in  fresh  earth,  the  taint  is  removed.  I 
have  somewhere  read  that  the  islanders  in  the  north  of  Scotland 
treat  the  rank  carcasses  of  the  fw"h-eating  birds  in  the  same 
manner. 

The  order  Rodentia  is  here  very  numerous  in  species :  of 
mice  alone  I  obtained  no  less  than  eight  kinds.*  The  largest 
gnawing  animal  in  the  world,  the  Hydrochserus  capybara  (the 
water-hog),  is  here  also  common.  One  which  I  shot  at  Monte 
Video  weighed  ninety-eight  pounds :  its  length,  from  the  end  of 
the  snout  to  the  stump-like  tail,  was  tnree  feet  two  inches ;  and 
its  girth  three  feet  eight.  These  great  Rodents  occasionally 
frequent  the  islands  in  the  mouth  of  the  Plata,  where  the 
water  is  quite  salt,  but  are  far  more  abundant  on  the  borders 

*  In  South  America  I  collected  altogether  twenty-seven  species  of  mice, 
and  thirteen  more  are  known  from  the  works  of  Azara  and  other  authors. 
Those  collected  by  myself  have  been  named  and  described  by  Mr.  Water- 
house  at  the  meetings  of  the  Zoological  Society.  I  must  be  allowed  to  take 
this  opportunity  of  returning  my  cordial  thanks  to  Mr.  Waterhouse,  and  to 
the  other  gentlemen  attached  to  that  Society,  for  their  kind  and  most  liberal 
assistance  on  all  occasions. 


50  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  m. 

of  fresh-water  lakes  and  rivers.  Near  Malcloriado  three  or 
four  generally  live  together.  In  the  daytime  they  either  lie 
among  the  aquatic  plants,  or  openly  feed  on  the  turf  plain.* 
When  viewed  at  a  distance,  from  their  manner  of  walking 
and  colour  they  resemble  pigs :  but  when  seated  on  their 
haunches,  and  attentively  watching  any  object  with  one  eye, 
they  reassume  the  appearance  of  their  congeners,  cavies  and 
rabbits.  Both  the  front  and  side  view  of  their  head  has  quite 
a  ludicrous  aspect,  from  the  great  depth  of  their  jaw.  These 
animals,  at  Maldonado,  were  very  lame ;  by  cautiously  walk- 
ing, I  approached  within  three  yards  of  four  old  ones.  This 
lameness  may  probably  be  accounted  for,  by  the  Jaguar  having 
been  banished  for  some  years,  and  by  the  Gaucho  not  thinking 
it  worth  his  while  to  hunt  them.  As  I  approached  nearer  and 
nearer  they  frequently  made  their  peculiar  noise,  which  is  a  low 
abrupt  grunt,  not  having  much  actual  sound,  but  rather  arising 
from  the  sudden  expulsion  of  air:  the  only  noise  I  know  at  all 
like  it,  is  the  first  hoarse  bark  of  a  large  dog.  Having  watched 
the  four  from  almost  within  arm's  length  (and  they  me)  for 
several  minutes,  they  rushed  into  the  water  at  full  gallop  with 
the  greatest  impetuosity,  and  emitted  at  the  same  time  their 
bark.  After  diving  a  short  distance  they  came  again  to  the 
surface,  but  only  just  showed  the  upper  part  of  their  heads. 
When  the  female  is  swimming  in  the  water,  and  has  young  ones, 
they  are  said  to  sit  on  her  back.  These  animals  are  easily  killed 
in  numbers ;  but  their  skins  are  of  trifling  value,  and  the  meat  is 
very  indifferent.  On  the  islands  in  the  Rio  Parana  they  are 
exceedingly  abundant,  and  aiford  the  ordinary  prey  to  the 
Jaguar. 

The  Tucutuco  (Ctenomys  Brasiliensis)  is  a  C'irious  small 
animal,  which  may  be  briefly  described  as  a  Gnawer,  with  the 
habits  of  a  mole.  It  is  extremely  numerous  in  some  parts  of  the 
country,  but  is  difficult  to  be  procured,  and  never,  I  believe, 
comes  out  of  the  ground.  It  throws  up  at  the  mouth  of  its 

*  In  the  stomach  and  duodenum  of  a  capybara  which  I  opened,  I  found  a 
very  large  quantity  of  a  thin  yellowish  fluid,  in  which  scarcely  a  fibre  could 
be  distinguished.  Mr.  Owen  informs  me  that  a  part  of  the  oesophagus  is  so 
constructed  that  nothing  much  larger  than  a  crowquill  can  be  passed  down. 
Certainly  the  broad  teeth  and  strong  jaws  of  this  animal  are  well  fitted  to 
grind  into  pulp  the  aquatic  plants  yn.  which  it  feeds. 


1832-3.]  THE   TUCUTTJCO.  61 

burrows  hillocks  of  earth  like  those  of  the  mole,  but  smaller. 
Considerable  tracts  of  country  are  so  completely  undermined  by 
these  animals,  that  horses  in  passing  over,  sink  above  their  fet- 
locks. The  tucutucos  appear,  to  a  certain  degree,  to  be  grega- 
rious :  the  man  who  procured  the  specimens  for  me  had  caught 
six  together,  and  he  said  this  was  a  common  occurrence.  They 
are  nocturnal  in  their  habits  ;  and  their  principal  food  is  the 
roots  of  plants,  which  are  the  object  of  their  extensive  and 
superficial  burrows.  This  animal  is  universally  known  by  a  very 
peculiar  noise  which  it  makes  when  beneath  the  ground.  A 
person,  the  first  time  he  hears  it,  is  much  surprised  ;  for  it  is  not 
easy  to  tell  whence  it  comes,  nor  is  it  possible  to  guess  what 
kind  of  creature  utters  it.  The  noise  consists  in  a  short,  but  not 
rough,  nasal  grunt,  which  is  monotonously  repealed  about  four 
times  in  quick  succession :  *  the  name  Tucutuco  is  given  in  imi- 
tation of  the  sound.  Where  this  animal  is  abundant,  it  may  be 
heard  at  all  times  of  the  day,  and  sometimes  directly  beneath 
one's  feet.  When  kept  in  a  room,  the  tucutucos  move  both 
slowly  and  clumsily,  which  appears  owing  to  the  outward  action 
of  their  hind  legs  ;  and  they  are  quite  incapable,  from  the  socket 
of  the  thigh-bone  not  having  a  certain  ligament,  of  jumping  even 
the  smallest  vertical  height.  They  are  very  stupid  in  making 
any  attempt  to  escape ;  when  angry  or  frightened  they  uttered 
the  tucu-tuco.  Of  those  I  kept  alive  several,  even  the  first  day, 
became  quite  tame,  not  attempting  to  bite  or  to  run  away  ;  others 
were  a  little  wilder. 

The  man  who  caught  them  asserted  that  very  many  are  inva- 
riably found  blind.  A  specimen  which  I  preserved  in  spirits  was 
in  this  state  ;  Mr.  Reid  considers  it  to  be  the  effect  of  inflam- 
mation in  the  nictitating  membrane.  When  the  animal  was 
alive  I  placed  my  finger  within  half  an  inch  of  its  head,  and  not 
the  slightest  notice  was  taken  :  it  made  its  way,  however,  about 
the  room  nearly  as  well  as  the  others.  Considering  the  strictly 
subterranean  habits  of  the  tucutuco,  the  blindness,  though  so 

*  At  the  R.  Negro,  in  Northern  Patagonia,  there  5s  an  animal  of  the  same 
habits,  and  probably  a  closely  allied  species,  but  which  I  never  saw.  Its 
noise  is  different  from  that  of  the  Maldonado  kind  ;  it  is  repeated  only  twice 
instead  of  three  or  four  times,  and  is  more  distinct  and  sonorous :  when  heard 
from  a  distance  it  so  closely  resembles  the  sound  made  in  cutting  down  a  small 
tie*  with  an  axe,  that  I  have  sometimes  remained  in  doubt  concerning  it. 


52  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  ni. 

common,  cannot  be  a  very  serious  evil ;  yet  it  appears  strange 
that  any  animal  should  possess  an  organ  frequently  subject  to  be 
injured.  Lamarck  would  have  been  delighted  with  this  fact,  had 
he  known  it,  when  speculating*  (probably  with  more  truth  than 
usual  with  him)  on  the  gradual \y-acquired  blindness  of  the 
Aspalax,  a  Gnawer  living  under  ground,  and  of  the  Proteus,  a 
reptile  living  in  dark  caverns  filled  with  water ;  in  both  of  which 
animals  the  eye  is  in  an  almost  rudimentary  state,  and  is  covered 
by  a  tendinous  membrane  and  skin.  In  the  common  mole  the 
eye  is  extraordinarily  small  but  perfect,  though  many  anatomists 
doubt  whether  it  is  connected  with  the  true  optic  nerve;  its 
vision  must  certainly  be  imperfect,  though  probably  useful  to  the 
animal  when  it  leaves  its  burrow.  In  the  tucutuco,  which  I 
believe  never  comes  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  the  eye  is 
rather  larger,  but  often  rendered  blind  and  useless,  though  with- 
out apparently  causing  any  inconvenience  to  the  animal:  no 
doubt  Lamarck  would  have  said  that  the  tucutuco  is  now  passing 
into  the  state  of  the  Aspalax  and  Proteus. 

Birds  of  many  kinds  are  extremely  abundant  on  the  undulat 
ing  grassy  plains  around  Maldonado.  There  are  several  species 
of  a  family  allied  in  structure  and  manners  to  our  Starling  :  one 
of  these  (Molothrus  niger)  is  remarkable  from  its  habits.  Seve- 
ral may  often  be  seen  standing  together  on  the  back  of  a  cow  or 
horse  ;  and  while  perched  on  a  hedge,  pluming  themselves  in  the 
sun,  they  sometimes  attempt  to  sing,  or  rather  to  hiss  ;  the  noise 
being  very  peculiar,  resembling  that  of  uubbles  of  air  passing 
rapidly  from  a  small  orifice  under  water,  so  as  to  produce  an 
acute  sound.  According  to  Azara,  this  bird,  like  the  cuckoo, 
deposits  its  eggs  in  other  birds'  nests.  I  was  several  times  told 
by  the  country  people,  that  there  certainly  is  some  bird  having 
this  habit ;  and  my  assistant  in  collecting,  who  is  a  very  accurate 
person,  found  a  nest  of  the  sparrow  of  this  country  (Zonotrichia 
matutina),  with  one  egg  in  it  larger  than  the  others,  and  of  a 
different  colour  and  shape.  In  North  America  there  is  another 
species  of  Molothrus  (M.  pecoris),  which  has  a  similar  cuckoo- 
like  habit,  and  which  is  most  closely  allied  in  every  respect  to 
the  species  from  the  Plata,  even  in  such  trifling  peculiarities  as 

•  Philosoph.  Zoolog.,  torn.  i.  p.  249 


1832-3.]  HABITS  OF  THE   CUCKOO.  63 

standing  on  the  backs  of  cattle  ;  it  differs  only  in  being  a  little 
smaller,  and  in  its  plumage  and  eggs  being  of  a  slightly  different 
shade  of  colour.  This  close  agreement  in  structure  and  habits, 
in  representative  species  coming  from  opposite  quarters  of  a  great 
continent,  always  strikes  one  as  interesting,  though  of  common 
occurrence. 

Mr.  Swainson  has  well  remarked,*  that  with  the  exception  of 
the  Molothrus  pecoris,  to  which  must  be  added  the  M.  niger,  the 
cuckoos  are  the  only  birds  which  can  be  called  truly  parasitical ; 
namely,  such  as  "  fasten  themselves,  as  it  were,  on  another  living 
animal,  whose  animal  heat  brings  their  young  into  life,  whose 
food  they  live  upon,  and  whose  death  would  cause  theirs 
during  the  period  of  infancy."  It  is  remarkable  that  some  of 
the  species,  but  not  all,  both  of  the  Cuckoo  and  Molothrus, 
should  agree  in  this  one  strange  habit  of  their  parasitical  propa- 
gation, whilst  opposed  to  each  other  in  almost  every  other  habit : 
the  molothrus,  like  our  starling,  is  eminently  sociable,  and  lives 
on  the  open  plains  without  art  or  disguise :  the  cuckoo,  as  every 
one  knows,  is  a  singularly  shy  bird  ;  it  frequents  the  most  retired 
thickets,  and  feeds  on  fruit  and  caterpillars.  In  structure  also 
these  two  genera  are  widely  removed  from  each  other.  Many 
theories,  even  phrenological  theories,  have  been  advanced  to  ex- 
plain the  origin  of  the  cuckoo  laying  its  eggs  in  other  birds' 
nests.  M.  Prevost  alone,  1  think,  has  thrown  light  by  his  obser- 
vations f  on  this  puzzle :  he  finds  that  the  female  cuckoo,  which, 
according  to  most  observers,  lays  at  least  from  four  to  six  eggs, 
must  pair  with  the  male  each  time  after  laying  only  one  or  two 
egg.  Now,  if  the  cuckoo  was  obliged  to  sit  on  her  own  eggs, 
she  would  either  have  to  c-it  on  all  together,  and  therefore  leave 
those  first  laid  so  long,  that  they  probably  would  become  addled  ; 
or  she  would  have  to  hatch  separately  each  egg  or  two  eggs,  as 
soon  as  laid :  but  as  the  cuckoo  stays  a  shorter  time  in  th's 
country  than  any  other  migratory  bird,  she  certainly  would  not 
have  time  enough  for  the  successive  hatchings.  Hence  we  can 
perceive  in  the  fact  of  the  cuckoo  pairing  several  times,  and 
laying  her  eggs  at  intervals,  the  cause  of  her  depositing  her 
eggs  in  other  birds'  nests,  and  leaving  them  to  the  care  of  fostcr- 

*  Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany,  vol.  i.  p.  217. 
f  Ktad  before  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris.     L'Institut,  1834,  p.  41& 


54  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

parents.  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  this  view  is  cor- 
rect, from  having  been  independently  led  (as  we  shall  hereafter 
see)  to  an  analogous  conclusion  with  regard  to  the  South 
American  ostrich,  the  females  of  which  are  parasitical,  if  I  may 
so  express  it,  on  each  other  ;  each  female  laying  several  eggs  in 
the  nests  of  several  other  females,  and  the  male  ostrich  under- 
taking all  the  cares  of  incubation,  like  the  strange  foster-parents 
with  the  cuckoo. 

I  will  mention  only  two  other  birds,  which  are  very  common, 
and  render  themselves  prominent  from  their  habits.  The  Sauro- 
phagus  sulphuratus  is  typical  of  the  great  American  tribe  of 
tyrant-flycatchers.  In  its  structure  it  closely  approaches  the 
true  shrikes,  but  in  its  habits  may  be  compared  to  many  birds. 
I  have  frequently  observed  it,  hunting  a  field,  hovering  over  one 
spot  like  a  hawk,  and  then  proceeding  on  to  another.  When 
seen  thus  suspended  in  the  air,  it  might  very  readily  at  a  short 
distance  be  mistaken  for  one  of  the  Rapacious  order  ;  its  stoop, 
however,  is  very  inferior  in  force  and  rapidity  to  that  of  a  hawk. 
At  other  times  the  Saurophagus  haunts  the  neighbourhood  of 
water,  and  there,  like  a  kingfisher,  remaining  stationary,  it 
catches  any  small  fish  which  may  come  near  the  margin.  These 
birds  are  not  unfrequently  kept  either  in  cages  or  in  courtyards, 
with  their  wings  cut.  They  soon  become  tame,  and  are  very 
amusing  from  their  cunning  odd  manners,  which  were  described 
to  me  as  being  similar  to  those  of  the  common  magpie.  Their 
flight  is  undulatory,  for  the  weight  of  the  head  and  bill  appear 
too  great  for  the  body.  In  the  evening  the  Saurophagus  takes 
its  stand  on  a  bush,  often  by  the  road-side,  and  continually 
repeats  without  change  a  shrill  and  rather  agreeable  cry,  which 
somewhat  resembles  articulate  words :  the  Spaniards  say  it  is  like 
the  words  "  Bien  te  veo"  (I  see  you  well),  and  accordingly  have 
given  it  this  name. 

A  mocking-bird  (Mimus  orpheus),  called  by  the  inhabitants 
Calandria,  is  remarkable,  from  possessing  a  song  far  superior 
to  that  of  any  other  bird  in  the  country :  indeed,  it  is  nearly  the 
only  bird  in  South  America  which  I  have  observed  to  take  its 
stand  for  the  purpose  of  singing.  The  song  may  be  compared 
to  thut  of  the  Sedge  warbler,  but  is  more  powerful ;  some  harsh 
notes  and  some  very  high  ones,  being  mingled  with  a  pleasant 


1832-3.]  CARRION   HAWKS.  65 

warbling.  It  is  heard  only  during  the  spring.  At  other  times 
its  cry  is  harsh  and  far  from  harmonious.  Near  Maldonado 
these  birds  were  tame  and  bold ;  they  constantly  attended  the 
country  houses  in  numbers,  to  pick  the  meat  which  was  hung 
up  on  the  posts  or  walls :  if  any  other  small  bird  joined  the 
feast,  the  Calandria  soon  chased  it  away.  On  the  wide  un- 
inhabited plains  of  Patagonia  another  closely  allied  species, 
O.  Patagoriica  of  d'Orbigny,  which  frequents  the  valleys  clothed 
with  spiny  bushes,  is  a  wilder  bird,  and  has  a  slightly  different 
tone  of  voice.  It  appears  to  me  a  curious  circumstance,  as 
showing  the  fine  shades  of  difference  in  habits,  that  judging  from 
this  latter  respect  alone,  when  I  first  saw  this  second  species,  I 
thought  it  was  different  from  the  Maldonado  kind.  Having 
afterwards  procured  a  specimen,  and  comparing  the  two  without 
particular  care,  they  appeared  so  very  similar,  that  I  changed  my 
opinion  ;  but  now  Mr.  Gould  says  that  they  are  certainly  dis- 
tinct; a  conclusion  in  conformity  with  the  trifling  difference  of 
habit,  of  which,  however,  he  was  not  aware. 

The  number,  tameness,  and  disgusting  habits  of  the  carrion- 
feeding  hawks  of  South  America  make  them  pre-eminently  strik- 
ing to  any  one  accustomed  only  to  the  birds  of  Northern  Europe. 
In  this  list  may  be  included  four  species  of  the  Caracara  or  Poly- 
borus,  the  Turkey  buzzard,  the  Gallinazo,  and  the  Condor.  The 
Caracaras  are,  from  their  structure,  placed  among  the  eagles :  we 
shall  soon  see  how  ill  they  become  so  high  a  rank.  In  their 
habits  they  well  supply  the  place  of  our  carrion-crows,  magpies, 
and  ravens ;  a  tribe  of  birds  widely  distributed  over  the  rest  of 
the  world,  but  entirely  absent  in  South  America.  To  begin  with 
the  Polyborus  Brasiliensis :  this  is  a  common  bird,  and  has  a 
wide  geographical  range ;  it  is  most  numerous  on  the  grassy 
savannahs  of  La  Plata  (where  it  goes  by  the  name  of  Carrancha), 
and  is  far  from  unfrequent  throughout  the  sterile  plains  of  Pata- 
gonia. In  the  desert  between  the  rivers  Negro  and  Colorado, 
numbers  constantly  attend  the  line  of  road  to  devour  the  car- 
casses of  the  exhausted  animals  which  chance  to  perish  from 
fatigue  and  thirst.  Although  thus  common  in  these  dry  and 
open  countries,  and  likewise  on  the  arid  shores  of  the  Pacific,  it 
ts  nevertheless  found  inhabiting  the  damp  impervious  forests  of 
West  Patagonia  and  Tierra  del  Fuego.  The  Carranchas, 


MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 


together  with  the  Chimango,  constantly  attend  in  numbers  the 
estancias  and  slaughtering-houses.  If  an  animal  dies  on  the  plain 
the  Gallinazo  commences  the  feast,  and  then  the  two  species  of 
Folyborus  pick  the  bones  clean.  These  birds,  although  thus 
commonly  feeding  together,  are  far  from  being  friends.  When 
the  Carrancha  is  quietly  seated  on  the  branch  of  a  tree  or  on  the 
ground,  the  Chimango  often  continues  for  a  long  time  flying 
backwards  and  forwards,  up  and  down,  in  a  semicircle,  trying 
each  time  at  the  bottom  of  the  curve  to  strike  its  larger  relative. 
The  Carrancha  takes  little  notice,  except  by  bobbing  its  head. 
Although  the  Carranchas  frequently  assemble  in  numbers,  they 
are  not  gregarious  ;  for  in  desert  places  they  may  be  seen  solitary, 
or  more  commonly  by  pairs. 

The  Carranchas  are  said  to  be  very  crafty,  and  to  steal  great 
numbers  of  eggs.  They  attempt,  also,  togethe**  with  the  Chi- 
mango, to  pick  off  the  scabs  from  the  sore  backs  of  horses 
and  mules.  The  poor  animal,  on  the  one  hand,  with  its  ears 
down  and  its  back  arched  ;  and,  on  the  other,  the  "hovering  bird, 
eyeing  at  the  distance  of  a  yard,  the  disgusting  morsel,  form  a 
picture,  which  has  been  described  by  Captain  Head  with  his  own 
peculiar  spirit  and  accuracy.  These  false  eagles  most  rarely 
kill  any  living  bird  or  animal ;  and  their  vulture-like,  necropha- 
gous habits  are  very  evident  to  any  one,  who  has  fallen  asleep  on 
the  desolate  plains  of  Patagonia,  for  when  he  wakes,  he  will  see, 
on  each  surrounding  hillock,  one  of  these  birds  patiently  watch- 
ing him  with  an  evil  eye :  it  is  a  feature  in  the  landscape  of 
these  countries,  which  will  be  recognised  by  every  one  who  has 
wandered  over  them.  If  a  party  of  men  go  out  hunting  with 
dogs  and  horses,  they  will  be  accompanied,  during  the  day,  by 
several  of  these  attendants.  After  feeding,  the  uncovered  craw 
protrudes ;  at  such  times,  and  indeed  generally,  the  Carrancha 
is  an  inactive,  tame,  and  cowardly  bird.  Its  flight  is  heavy  and 
slow,  like  that  of  an  English  rook.  It  seldom  soars ;  but  I  have 
twice  seen  one  at  a  great  height  gliding  through  the  air  with 
much  ease.  It  runs  (in  contradistinction  to  hopping),  but  not 
quite  so  quickly  as  some  of  its  congeners.  At  times  the  Carran- 
cha is  noisy,  but  is  not  generally  so:  its  cry  is  loud,  very 
harsh  and  peculiar,  and  may  be  likened  to  the  sound  of  the 
Spanish  guttural  g,  followed  by  a  rough  double  r  r ;  when  utter- 


1832-3.]  CARRION   HAWKS.  57 

:ng  this  cry  it  elevates  its  head  higher  and  higher,  till  at  last, 
with  its  beak  wide  open,  the  crown  almost  touches  the  lower  part 
of  the  back.  This  fact,  which  has  been  doubted,  is  quite  true  ; 
I  have  seen  them  several  times  with  their  heads  backwards  in  a 
completely  inverted  position.  To  these  observations  I  may  add, 
on  the  high  authority  of  Azara,  that  "the  Carrancha  feeds  on 
worms,  shells,  slugs,  grasshoppers,  and  frogs ;  that  it  destroys 
young  lambs  by  tearing  the  umbilical  cord  ;  and  that  it  pursues 
the  Gallinazo,  till  that  bird  is  compelled  to  vomit  up  the  carrion 
it  may  have  recently  gorged.  Lastly,  Azara  states  that  several 
Carranchas,  five  or  six  together,  will  unite  in  chace  of  large 
birds,  even  such  as  herons.  All  these  facts  show  that  it  is  a  bird 
of  very  versatile  habits  and  considerable  ingenuity. 

The  Polyborus  Chimango  is  considerably  smaller  than  the 
last  species.  It  is  truly  omnivorous,  and  will  eat  even  bread  ; 
and  I  was  assured  that  it  materially  injures  the  potato-crops  in 
Chiloe,  by  stocking  up  the  roots  when  first  planted.  Of  all 
the  carrion-feeders  it  is  generally  the  last  which  leaves  the 
skeleton  of  a  dead  animal ;  and  may  often  be  seen  within  the 
ribs  of  a  cow  or  horse,  like  a  bird  in  a  cage.  Another  species 
is  the  Polyborus  Novae  Zelandiae,  which  is  exceedingly  common 
in  the  Falkland  Islands.  These  birds  in  many  respects  resemble 
in  their  habits  the  Carranchas.  They  live  on  the  flesh  of  dead 
animals  and  on  marine  productions ;  and  on  the  Ramirez  rocks 
their  whole  sustenance  must  depend  on  the  sea.  They  are  extra- 
ordinarily tame  and  fearless,  and  haunt  the  neighbourhood  of 
houses  for  offal.  If  a  hunting  party  kills  an  animal,  a  number 
soon  collect  and  patiently  await,  standing  on  the  ground  on  all 
sides.  After  eating,  their  uncovered  craws  are  largely  pro- 
truded, giving  them  a  disgusting  appearance.  They  readily 
attack  wounded  birds :  a  cormorant  in  this  state  having  taken  to 
the  shore,  was  immediately  seized  on  by  several,  and  its  death 
hastened  by  their  blows.  The  Beagle  was  at  the  Falklands  only 
during  the  summer,  but  the  officers  of  the  Adventure,  who  were 
there  in  the  winter,  mention  many  extraordinary  instances  of 
the  boldness  and  rapacity  of  these  birds.  They  actually  pounced 
on  a  dog  that  was  lying  fast  asleep  close  by  one  of  the  party; 
and  the  sportsmen  had  difficulty  in  preventing  the  wounded 
geese  from  being  seized  before  their  eyes.  It  is  said  that  several 


68  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  m. 

together  (in  this  respect  resembling  the  Carranchas)  wait  at  the 
mouth  of  a  rabbit-hole,  and  together  seize  on  the  animal  when 
it  comes  out.  They  were  constantly  flying  on  board  the  vessel 
when  in  the  harbour ;  and  it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  good  look 
out  to  prevent  the  leather  being  torn  from  the  rigging,  and  the 
meat  or  game  from  the  stern.  These  birds  are  very  mischievous 
and  inquisitive ;  they  will  pick  up  almost  any  thing  from  the 
ground ;  a  large  black  glazed  hat  was  carried  nearly  a  mile,  as 
was  a  pair  of  the  heavy  balls  used  m  catching  cattle.  Mr. 
Usborne  experienced  during  the  survey  a  more  severe  loss,  in 
their  stealing  a  small  Kater's  compass  in  a  red  morocco  leather 
case,  which  was  never  recovered.  These  birds  are,  moreover, 
quarrelsome  and  very  passionate  ;  tearing  up  the  grass  with  their 
bills  from  rage.  They  are  not  truly  gregarious ;  they  do  not 
soar,  and  their  flight  is  heavy  and  clumsy ;  on  the  ground  they 
run  extremely  fast,  very  much  like  pheasants.  They  are  noisy, 
uttering  several  harsh  cries ;  one  of  which  is  like  that  of  the 
English  rook  ;  hence  the  sealers  always  call  them  rooks.  It  is 
a  curious  circumstance  that,  when  crying  out,  they  throw  their 
heads  upwards  and  backwards,  after  the  same  manner  as  the 
Carrancha.  They  build  in  the  rocky  cliffs  of  the  sea-coast,  but 
only  on  the  small  adjoining  islets,  and  not  on  the  two  main 
islands :  this  is  a  singular  precaution  in  so  tame  and  fearless  a 
bird.  The  sealers  say  that  the  flesh  of  these  birds,  when  cooked, 
is  quite  white,  and  very  good  eating ;  but  bold  must  the  man  be 
who  attempts  such  a  meal. 

We  have  now  only  to  mention  the  turkey-buzzard  (Vultur 
aura),  and  the  Gallinazo.  The  former  is  found  wherever  the 
country  is  moderately  damp,  from  Cape  Horn  to  North  America. 
Differently  from  the  Polyborus  Brasiliensis  and  Chimango,  it 
has  found  its  way  to  the  Falkland  Islands.  The  turkey-buzzard 
is  a  solitary  bird,  or  at  most  goes  in  pairs.  It  may  at  once  bo 
recognised  from  a  long  distance,  by  its  lofty,  soaring,  and  most 
elegant  flight.  It  is  well  known  to  be  a  true  carrion-feeder. 
On  the  west  coast  of  Patagonia,  among  the  thickly- wooded  islets 
and  broken  land,  it  lives  exclusively  on  what  the  sea  throws  up, 
and  on  the  carcasses  of  dead  seals.  Wherever  these  animals 
ire  congregated  on  the  rocks,  there  the  vultures  may  be  seen. 
The  Gallinazo  (Cathartes  atratus)  has  a  different  range  from 


1832-3.]  TUBES   FORMED   BY   LIGHTNING.  59 

the  last  species,  as  it  never  occurs  southward  of  lat.  41°.  Azara 
states  that  there  exists  a  tradition  that  these  birds,  at  the  time  of 
the  conquest,  were  not  found  near  Monte  Video,  but  that  they 
subsequently  followed  the  inhabitants  from  more  northern  dis- 
tricts. At  the  present  day  they  are  numerous  in  the  valley  of 
the  Colorado,  which  is  three  hundred  miles  due  south  of  Monte 
Video.  It  seems  probable  that  this  additional  migration  ha.i 
happened  since  the  time  of  Azara.  The  Gallinazo  generally 
prefers  a  humid  climate,  or  rather  the  neighbourhood  of  fresh 
water ;  hence  it  is  extremely  abundant  in  Brazil  and  La  Plata, 
while  it  is  never  found  on  the  desert  and  arid  plains  of  Northern 
Patagonia,  excepting  near  some  stream.  These  birds  frequent 
the  whole  Pampas  to  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera,  but  I  never  saw 
or  heard  of  one  in  Chile :  in  Peru  they  are  preserved  as  scaven- 
gers. These  vultures  certainly  may  be  called  gregarious,  for 
they  seem  to  have  pleasure  in  society,  and  are  not  solely  brought 
together  by  the  attraction  of  a  common  prey.  On  a  fine  day  a 
flock  may  often  be  observed  at  a  great  height,  each  bird  wheel- 
ing round  and  round  without  closing  its  wings,  in  the  most 
graceful  evolutions.  This  is  clearly  performed  for  the  mere 
pleasure  of  the  exercise,  or  perhaps  is  connected  with  their  matri- 
monial alliances. 

I  have  now  mentioned  all  the  carrion-feeders,  excepting  the 
condor,  an  account  of  which  will  be  more  appropriately  intro- 
duced when  we  visit  a  country  more  congenial  to  its  habits  than 
the  plains  of  La  Plata. 

In  a  broad  band  of  sand-hillocks  which  separate  the  Laguna 
del  Potrero  from  the  shores  of  the  Plata,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
miles  from  Maldonado,  I  found  a  group  of  those  vitrified,  silice- 
ous tubes,  which  are  formed  by  lightning  entering  loose  sand. 
These  tubes  resemble  in  every  particular  those  from  Drigg  in 
Cumberland,  described  in  the  Geological  Transactions.*  The 
sand-hillocks  of  Maldonado,  not  being  protected  by  vegetation, 
are  constantly  changing  their  position.  From  this  cause  the 

*  Geolog.  Transact,  vol.  ii.  p.  528.  In  the  Philosoph.  Transact  ( 1790, 
p.  294)  Dr.  Priestley  has  described  some  imperfect  siliceous  tubes  and  a  melted 
pebble  of  quartz,  found  in  digging  into  the  ground,  under  a  tree,  where  a 
man  had  been  killed  by  lightning. 


MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 


tubes  projected  above  the  surface ;  and  numerous  fragments 
lying  near,  showed  that  they  had  formerly  been  buried  to  a 
greater  depth.  Four  sets  entered  the  sand  perpendicularly  :  by 
working  with  my  hands  I  traced  one  of  them  two  feet  deep  ;  and 
some  fragments  which  evidently  had  belonged  to  the  same  tube, 
when  added  to  the  other  part,  measured  five  feet  three  inches. 
The  diameter  of  the  whole  tube  was  nearly  equal,  and  therefore 
,ve  must  suppose  that  originally  it  extended  to  a  much  greater 
Jepth.  These  dimensions  are  however  small,  compared  to  those 
of  the  tubes  from  Drigg,  one  of  which  was  traced  to  a  depth  of 
not  less  than  thirty  feet. 

The  internal  surface  is  completely  vitrified,  glossy,  and  smooth. 
A  small  fragment  examined  under  the  microscope  appeared, 
from  the  number  of  minute  entangled  air  or  perhaps  steam 
bubbles,  like  an  assay  fused  before  the  blowpipe.  The  sand  is 
entirely,  or  in  greater  part,  siliceous ;  but  some  points  are  of  a 
black  colour,  and  from  their  glossy  surface  possess  a  metallic 
lustre.  The  thickness  of  the  wall  of  the  tube  varies  from  a 
thirtieth  to  a  twentieth  of  an  inch,  and  occasionally  even  equals 
a  tenth.  On  the  outside  the  grains  of  sand  are  rounded,  and 
have  a  slightly  glazed  appearance :  J  could  not  distinguish  any 
signs  of  crystallization.  •  In  a  similar  manner  to  that  described 
in  the  Geological  Transactions,  the  tubes  are  generally  com- 
pressed, and  have  deep  longitudinal  furrows,  so  as  closely  to 
resemble  a  shrivelled  vegetable  stalk,  or  the  bark  of  the  elm  or 
cork  tree.  Their  circumference  is  about  two  inches,  but  in 
some  fragments,  which  are  cylindrical  and  without  any  furrows, 
it  is  as  much  as  four  inches.  The  compression  from  the  surround- 
ing loose  sand,  acting  while  the  tube  was  still  softened  from  the 
effects  of  the  intense  heat,  has  evidently  caused  the  creases  or 
furrows.  Judging  from  the  uncompressed  fragments,  the  mea- 
sure or  bore  of  the  lightning  (if  such  a  term  may  be  used),  must 
have  been  about  one  inch  and  a  quarter.  At  Paris,  M.  Hachette 
and  M.  Beudant*  succeeded  in  making  tubes,  in  most  respects 
similar  to  these  fulgurites,  by  passing  very  strong  shocks  oi 
galvanism  through  finely-powdered  glass :  when  salt  was  added, 
so  as  to  increase  its  fusibility,  the  tubes  were  larger  in  every 

*  Annales  de  Chimic  et  do  Physique,  torn,  xxxvii.,  p.  319. 


1832-3.]  ELECTRIC   PHENOMENA.  61 

dimension.  They  failed  both  with  powdered  felspar  and  quartz. 
One  tube,  formed  with  potmded  glass,  was  very  nearly  an  inch 
long,  namely,  -982,  and  had  an  internal  diameter  of  -019 
of  an  inch.  When  we  hear  that  the  strongest  battery  in  Paris 
was  used,  and  that  its  power  on  a  substance  of  such  easy  fusi- 
bility as  glass  was  to  form  tubes  so  diminu+ive,  we  must  feel 
greatly  astonished  at  the  force  of  a  shock  of  lightning,  which, 
striking  the  sand  in  several  places,  has  formed  cylinders,  in  one 
instance  of  at  least  thirty  feet  long,  and  having  an  internal 
bore,  where  not  compressed,  of  full  an  inch  and  a  half;  and  this 
in  a  material  so  extraordinarily  refractory  as  quartz ! 

The  tubes,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  enter  the  sand  nearly 
in  a  vertical  direction.  One,  however,  which  was  less  regular 
than  the  others,  deviated  from  a  right  line,  at  the  most  con- 
siderable bend,  to  the  amount  of  thirty-three  degrees.  From 
this  same  tube,  two  small  branches,  about  a  foot  apart,  were 
sent  off;  one  pointed  downwards,  and  the  other  upwards.  This 
latter  case  is  remarkable,  as  the  electric  fluid  must  have  turned 
back  at  the  acute  angle  of  26°,  to  the  line  of  its  main  course. 
Besides  the  four  tubes  which  I  found  vertical,  and  traced  be- 
neath the  surface,  there  were  several  other  groups  of  frag- 
ments, the  original  sites  of  which  without  doubt  were  near. 
All  occurred  in  a  level  area  of  shifting  sand,  sixty  yards  by 
twenty,  situated  among  some  high  sand-hillocks,  and  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  half  a  mile  from  a  chain  of  hills  four  or  five 
hundred  feet  in  height.  The  most  remarkable  circumstance,  as 
it  appears  to  me,  in  this  case  as  well  as  in  that  of  Drigg,  and  in 
one  described  by  M.  Ribbentrop  in  Germany,  is  the  number  of 
tubes  found  within  such  limited  spaces.  At  Drigg,  within  an 
area  of  fifteen  yards,  three  were  observed,  and  the  same  number 
occurred  in  Germany.  In  the  case  which  I  have  described, 
certainly  more  than  four  existed  within  the  space  of  the  sixty  by 
twenty  yards.  As  it  does  not  appear  probable  that  the  tubes  are 
produced  by  successive  distinct  shocks,  we  must  believe  that  the 
lightning,  shortly  before  entering  the  ground,  divides  itself  into 
separate  branches. 

The  neighbourhood  of  the  Rio  Plata  seems  peculiarly  subject 
to  electric  phenomena.     In  the  year  1793,*  one  of  the  rnosl 
•  Azara's  Voyage,  vol.  i.  p.  36. 


62  MALDONTADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

destructive  thunderstorms  perhaps  on  record  happened  at  Buenos 
Ayres :  thirty-seven  places  within  the  city  were  struck  by  light- 
ning, and  nineteen  people  killed.  From  facts  stated  in  several 
books  of  travels,  I  am  inclined  to  suspect  that  thunderstorms  are 
very  common  near  the  mouths  of  great  rivers.  Is  it  not  pos- 
sible that  the  mixture  of  large  bodies  of  fresh  and  salt  water  may 
disturb  the  electrical  equilibrium  ?  Even  during  our  occasional 
visits  to  this  part  of  South  America,  we  heard  of  a  ship,  two 
churches,  and  a  house,  having  been  struck.  Both  the  church 
and  the  house  I  saw  shortly  afterwards  :  the  house  belonged  to 
Mr.  Hood,  the  consul-general  at  Monte  Video.  Some  of  thft 
effects  were  curious :  the  paper,  for  nearly  a  foot  on  each  side  of 
the  line  where  the  bell-wires  had  run,  was  blackened.  The 
metal  had  been  fused,  and  although  the  room  was  about  fifteen 
feet  high,  the  globules,  dropping  on  the  chairs  and  furniture, 
had  drilled  in  them  a  chain  of  minute  holes.  A  part  of  the 
wall  was  shattered  as  if  by  gunpowder,  and  the  fragments  had 
been  blown  off  with  force  sufficient  to  dent  the  wall  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  room.  The  frame  of  a  looking-glass  was 
blackened,  and  the  gilding  must  have  been  volatilized,  for  a 
smelling-bottle,  which  stood  on  the  chimney-piece,  was  coated 
with  bright  metallic  particles,  which  adhered  as  firmly  as  if  they 
had  been  enamelled. 


1833.]  ARRIVE   AT   RIO  NEGRO.  63 


CHAPTP:R  iv. 

Hio  Negro — Estancias  attacked  by  the  Indians — Salt  Lakes — Flamingoes — 
R.Negro  to  R.  Colorado — Sacred  Tree — Patagonian  Hare — Indian  Families 
—General  Rosas — Proceed  to  Bahia  Blanca — Sand  Dunes — Negro  Lieu- 
tenant—Bahia  Blanca — Saline  Incrustations — Punta  Alta — Zorillo. 

RIO  NEGRO  TO  BAHIA  BLANCA. 

July  24th,  1833.— The  Beagle  sailed  from  Maldonado,  and  on 
August  the  3rd  she  arrived  off  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro. 
This  is  the  principal  river  on  the  whole  line  of  coast  between 
the  Strait  of  Magellan  and  the  Plata.  It  enters  the  sea  about 
three  hundred  miles  south  of  the  estuary  of  the  Plata.  About 
fifty  j^ears  ago,  under  the  old  Spanish  government,  a  small  colony 
was  established  here ;  and  it  is  still  the  most  southern  position 
(lat.  41°)  on  this  eastern  coast  of  America,  inhabited  by  civilized 
man. 

The  country  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  wretched  in  the 
extreme :  on  the  south  side  a  long  line  of  perpendicular  cliffs 
commences,  which  exposes  a  section  of  the  geological  nature  of 
the  country.  The  strata  are  of  sandstone,  and  one  layer  was  re- 
markable from  being  composed  of  a  firmly-cemented  conglome- 
rate of  pumice  pebbles,  which  must  have  travelled  more  than 
four  hundred  miles,  from  the  Andes.  The  surface  is  every- 
where covered  up  by  a  thick  bed  of  gravel,  which  extends  far 
and  wide  over  the  open  plain.  Water  is  extremely  scarce,  and, 
where  found,  is  almost  invariably  brackish.  The  vegetation  is 
scanty  ;  and  although  there  are  bushes  of  many  kinds,  all  are 
armed  with  formidable  thorns,  which  seem  to  warn  the  strangei 
not  to  enter  on  these  inhospitable  regions. 

The  settlement  is  situated  eighteen  miles  up  the  river.  The 
road  follows  the  foot  of  the  sloping  cliff,  which  forms  the  north- 
ern boundary  of  the  great  valley,  in  which  the  Rio  Negro  flows. 
On  the  way  we  passed  the  ruins  of  some  fine  "  estancias,"  which 
a  few  years  since  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  They  witfc^ 


64  RIO  NEGRO.  TCIIAP.  iv. 

stood  se\eral  attacks.  A  man  present  at  one  gave  me  a  very 
lively  description  of  what  took  place.  The  inhabitants  had  suffi 
cient  notice  to  drive  all  the  cattle  and  horses  into  the  "  corral"* 
which  surrounded  the  house,  and  likewise  to  mount  some  small 
cannon.  The  Indians  were  Araucanians  from  the  south  of  Chile  ; 
several  hundreds  in  number,  and  highly  disciplined.  They  first 
appeared  in  two  bodies  on  a  neighbouring  hill ;  having  there  dis- 
mounted, and  taken  off  their  fur  mantles,  they  advanced  naked  to 
the  charge.  The  only  weapon  of  an  Indian  is  a  very  long  bam- 
boo or  chuzo,  ornamented  with  ostrich  feathers,  and  pointed  by  a 
sharp  spear-head.  My  informer  seemed  to  remember  with  the 
greatest  horror  the  quivering  of  these  chuzos  as  they  approached 
near.  When  close,  the  cacique  Pincheira  hailed  the  besieged  to 
give  up  their  arms,  or  he  would  cut  all  their  throats.  As  this 
would  probably  have  been  the  result  of  their  entrance  under  any 
circumstances,  the  answer  was  given  by  a  volley  of  musketry. 
The  Indians,  with  great  steadiness,  came  to  the  very  fence  of  the 
corral :  but  to  their  surprise  they  found  the  posts  fastened  toge- 
ther by  iron  nails  instead  of  leather  thongs,  and,  of  couAe,  in 
vain  attempted  to  cut  them  with  their  knives.  This  saved  the 
lives  of  the  Christians :  many  of  the  wounded  Indians  were  car- 
ried away  by  their  companions ;  and  at  last  one  of  the  under 
caciques  being  wounded,  the  bugle  sounded  a  retreat.  They  re- 
tired to  their  horses,  and  seemed  to  hold  a  council  of  war.  This 
was  an  awful  pause  for  the  Spaniards,  as  all  their  ammunition, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  cartridges,  was  expended.  In  an 
instant  the  Indians  mounted  their  horses,  and  galloped  out  of 
sight.  Another  attack  was  still  more  quickly  repulsed.  A  cool 
Frenchman  managed  the  gun ;  he  stopped  till  the  Indians  ap- 
proached close,  and  then  raked  their  line  with  grape-shot :  he 
thus  laid  thirty-nine  of  them  on  the  ground  ;  and,  of  course,  such 
a  friow  immediately  routed  the  whole  party. 

The  town  is  indifferently  called  El  Carmen  or  Patagones.  It 
is  built  on  the  face  of  a  cliff  which  fronts  the  river,  and  many  of 
the  houses  are  excavated  even  in  the  sandstone.  The  river  in 
about  two  or  three  hundred  yards  wide,  and  is  deep  and  rapid. 
The  many  islands,  with  their  willow-trees,  and  the  flat  headlands, 

*  The  corral  is  an  enclosure  made  of  tall  and  strong  stakes  Every 
tetancia,  or  farming  estate,  has  one  attached  to  it. 


SALT-LAKES   OR   SALINAS. 


seen  one  behind  the  other  on  the  northern  boundary  of  the  broad 
green  valley,  forms,  by  the  aid  of  a  bright  sun,  a  view  almost 
picturesque.  The  number  of  inhabitants  does  not  exceed  a  few 
hundreds.  These  Spanish  colonies  do  not,  like  our  British  ones, 
carry  within  themselves  the  elements  of  growth.  Many  Indians 
of  pure  blood  reside  here :  the  tribe  of  the  Cacique  Lucanee  con- 
stantly have  their  Toldos  *  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  The 
local  government  partly  supplies  them  with  provisions,  by  gi  ing 
them  all  the  old  worn-out  horses,  and  they  earn  a  little  by 
making  horse-rugs  and  other  articles  of  riding-gear.  These 
Indians  are  considered  civilized  ;  but  what  their  character  may 
have  gained  by  a  lesser  degree  of  ferocity,  is  almost  counter- 
balanced by  their  entire  immorality.  Some  of  the  younger  men  are, 
however,  improving ;  they  are  willing  to  labour,  and  a  short  time 
since  a  party  went  on  a  sealing-voyage,  and  behaved  very  well. 
They  were  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  labour,  by  being 
dressed  in  very  gay,  clean  clothes,  and  by  being  very  idle.  The 
taste  they  showed  in  their  dress  was  admirable  ;  if  you  could  have 
turned  one  of  these  young  Indians  into  a  statue  of  bronze,  his 
drapery  would  have  been  perfectly  graceful. 

One  day  I  rode  to  a  large  salt-lake,  or  Salina,  which  is  distant 
fifteen  miles  from  the  town.  During  the  winter  it  consists  of  a 
shallow  lake  of  brine,  which  in  summer  is  converted  into  a  field 
of  snow-white  salt.  The  layer  near  the  margin  is  from  four  to 
five  inches  thick,  but  towards  the  centre  i'.s  thickness  increases. 
This  lake  was  two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  one  broad.  Others 
occur  in  the  neighbourhood  many  times  larger,  and  with  a  floor 
of  salt,  two  and  three  feet  in  thickness,  even  when  under  water 
during  the  winter.  One  of  these  brilliantly-white  and  level  ex- 
panses, in  the  midst  of  the  brown  and  desolate  plain,  offers  an 
extraordinary  spectacle.  A  large  quantity  of  salt  is  annually 
drawn  from  the  salina ;  and  great  piles,  some  hundred  tons  in 
weight,  were  lying  ready  for  exportation.  The  season  for  work- 
ing the  salinas  forms  the  harvest  of  Patagones ;  for  on  it,  the 
prosperity  of  the  place  depends.  Nearly  the  whole  population 
encamps  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  the  people  are  employed 
In  drawing  out  the  salt  in  bullock- waggons.  This  salt  is  crystal- 

*  The  hovels  of  the  Indians  are  thus,  called. 


66  PJO   NEGRO.  [CHAP.  iv. 

hzed  in  great  cubes,  and  is  remarkably  pure  :  Mr.  Trenham  Reeks 
has  kindly  analyzed  some  for  me,  and  he  finds  in  it  only  0'26  of 
gypsum  and  0'22  of  earthy  matter.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  it 
does  not  serve  so  well  for  preserving  meat  as  sea-salt  from  the 
Cape  de  Verd  islands ;  and  a  merchant  at  Buenos  Ayres  told  me 
that  he  considered  it  as  fifty  per  cent,  less  valuable.  Hence  the 
Cape  de  Verd  salt  is  constantly  imported,  and  is  mixed  with  that 
from  these  salinas.  The  purity  of  the  Patagonian  salt,  or  absence 
from  it  of  those  other  saline  bodies  found  in  all  sea-water,  is  the 
only  assignable  cause  for  this  inferiority  :  a  conclusion  which  no 
one,  I  think,  would  have  suspected,  but  which  is  supported  bv 
the  fact  lately  ascertained,*  that  those  salts  answer  best  for  pre- 
serving cheese  which  contain  most  of  the  deliquescent  chlorides. 
The  border  of  the  lake  is  formed  of  mud :  and  in  this  nume- 
rous large  crystals  of  gypsum,  some  of  which  are  three  inches 
long,  lie  embedded  ;  whilst  on  the  surface  others  of  sulphate  of 
soda  lie  scattered  about.  The  Gauchos  call  the  former  the 
"  Padre  del  sal,"  and  the  latter  the  "  Madre ;"  they  state  that 
these  progenitive  salts  always  occur  on  the  borders  of  the  salinas, 
when  the  water  begins  to  evaporate.  The  mud  is  black,  and  has 
a  fetid  odour.  I  could  not  at  first  imagine  the  cause  of  this,  but 
I  afterwards  perceived  that  the  froth  which  the  wind  drifted  on 
shore  was  coloured  green,  as  if  by  confervae  :  I  attempted  to  carry 
home  some  of  this  green  matter,  but  from  an  accident  failed. 
Parts  of  the  lake  seen  from  a  short  distance  appeared  of  a  reddish 
colour,  and  this  perhaps  was  owing  to  some  infusorial  animalcula. 
The  mud  in  many  places  was  thrown  up  by  numbers  of  some  kind 
of  worm,  or  annelidous  animal.  How  surprising  it  is  that  any 
creatures  should  be  able  to  exist  in  brine,  and  that  they  should 
be  crawling  among  crystals  of  sulphate  of  soda  and  lime  !  And 
what  becomes  of  these  worms  when,  during  the  long  summer,  the 
surface  is  hardened  into  a  solid  layer  of  salt  ?  Flamingoes  in 
considerable  numbers  inhabit  this  lake,  and  breed  here ;  through- 
out Patagonia,  in  Northern  Chile,  and  at  the  Galapagos  Islands, 
I  met  with  these  birds  wherever  there  were  lakes  «f  brine.  I 
saw  them  here  wading  about  in  search  of  food — probably  for  the 
worms  which  burrow  in  the  mud  ;  and  these  latter  probably  feed 

*  Report  of  the  AgrieuJt  Chem.  Assoc.  in  the  Agricult.  Gazette,  1845 
p.  93. 


1833.]  R.   NEGRO   TO   R.   COLORADO.  6*7 

on  infusoria  or  confervge.  Thus  \ve  have  a  little  living  world 
within  itself,  adapted  to  these  inland  lakes  of  brine.  A  minute 
crustaceous  animal  (Cancer  salinus)  is  said  *  to  live  in  countless 
numbers  in  the  brine-pans  at  Lymington  ;  but  only  in  those  in 
which  the  fluid  has  attained,  from  evaporation,  considerable 
strength — namely,  about  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  salt  to  a  pint  of 
water.  Well  may  we  affirm,  that  every  part  of  the  world  is 
habitable  !  Whether  lakes  of  brine,  or  those  subterranean  ones 
hidden  beneath  volcanic  mountains — warm  mineral  springs — the 
wide  expanse  and  depths  of  the  ocean — the  upper  regions  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  even  the  surface  of  perpetual  snow— all  support 
organic  beings. 

To  the  northward  of  the  Rio  Negro,  between  it  and  the  inha- 
bited country  near  Buenos  Ayres,  the  Spaniards  have  only  one 
small  settlement,  recently  established  at  I>ahia  Blanca.  The  dis- 
tance in  a  straight  line  to  Buenos  Ayres  is  very  nearly  five  hun- 
dred British  miles.  The  wandering  tribes  of  horse  Indians, 
which  have  always  occupied  the  greater  part  of  this  country, 
having  of  late  much  harassed  the  outlying  estancias,  the  govern- 
ment at  Buenos  Ayres  equipped  some  time  since  an  army  under 
the  command  of  General  Rosas  for  the  purpose  of  exterminating 
them.  The  troops  were  now  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Co- 
lorado ;  a  river  lying  about  eighty  miles  northward  of  the  Rio 
Negro.  When  General  Rosas  left  Buen'os  Ayres  he  struck  in  a 
direct  line  across  the  unexplored  plains :  and  as  the  country  was 
thus  pretty  well  cleared  of  Indians,  he  left  behind  him,  at  wide 
ntervals,  a  small  party  of  soldiers  with  a  troop  of  horses 
(«  postd),  so  as  to  be  enabled  to  keep  up  a  communication  with 


*  Linnacan  Trans.,  vol.  xi.  p.  205.  It  is  remarkable  how  all  the  circum- 
stance's connected  with  the  salt-lakes  in  Siberia  and  Patagonia  are  similar. 
Siberia,  like  Patagonia,  appears  to  have  been  recently  elevated  above  the 
waters  of  the  sea.  In  both  countries  the  salt-lakes  occupy  shallow  depres- 
sions in  the  plains ;  in  both  the  mud  on  the  borders  is  black  and  fetid ;  be- 
neath the  crust  of  common  salt,  sulphate  of  soda  or  of  magnesia  occurs,  hn- 
perfectly  crystallized  ;  and  in  both,  the  muddy  sand  is  mixed  with  lentils  of 
gypsum.  The  Siberian  salt-lakes  are  inhabited  by  small  crustaceous  ani- 
mals ;  and  flamingoes  (Edin.  New  Philos.  Jour.,  Jan.  1830)  likewise  frequent 
them.  As  these  circumstances,  apparently  so  trifling,  occur  in  two  distanl 
continents,  we  may  feel  sure  that  they  are  the  necessary  results  of  conunoa 
sauses.— See  Pallas' s  Travis.  1793  to  1794,  pp.  129-134. 


68  R.   NEGRO   TO   R.   COLORADO.  [CHAP.  iv. 

the  capital.  As  the  Beagle  intended  to  call  at  Bahia  Blanca, 
[  determined  to  proceed  there  by  land;  and  ultimately  I  ex- 
tended my  plan  to  travel  the  whole  way  by  the  postas  to  Buenos 
Ay  res. 

August  llth. — Mr.  Harris,  an  Englishman  residing  at  Pata- 
gones,  a  guide,  and  five  Gauchos,  who  were  proceeding  to  the 
army  on  business,  were  my  companions  on  the  journey.  The 
Colorado,  as  I  have  already  said,  is  nearly  eighty  miles  distant : 
and  as  we  travelled  slowly,  we  were  two  days  and  a  half  on  the 
road.  The  whole  line  of  country  deserves  scarcely  a  better  name 
than  that  of  a  desert.  Water  is  found  only  in  two  small  wells ; 
it  is  called  fresh ;  but  even  at  this  time  of  the  year,  during  the 
rainy  season,  it  was  quite  brackish.  In  the  summer  this  must 
be  a  distressing  passage ;  for  now  it  was  sufficiently  desolate. 
The  valley  of  the  Rio  Negro,  broad  as  it  is,  has  merely  been  ex- 
cavated out  of  the  sandstone  plain ;  for  immediately  above  the 
bank  on  which  the  town  stands,  a  level  country  commences, 
which  is  interrupted  only  by  a  few  trifling  valleys  and  depres- 
sions. Everywhere  the  landscape  wears  the  same  sterile  aspect ; 
a  dry  gravelly  soil  supports  tufts  of  brown  withered  grass,  and 
low  scattered  bushes,  armed  with  thorns. 

Shortly  after  passing  the  first  spring  we  came  in  sight  of  a 
famous  tree,  which  the  Indians  reverence  as  the  altar  of  Wal- 
leechu.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  part  of  the  plain,  and  hence  is  a 
landmark  visible  at  a"  great  distance.  As  soon  as  a  tribe  of 
Indians  corne  in  sight  of  it,  they  offer  their  adorations  by  loud 
shouts.  The  tree  itself  is  low,  much  branched,  and  thorny  . 
just  above  the  root  it  has  a  diameter  of  about  three  feet.  It  stands 
by  itself  without  any  neighbour,  and  was  indeed  the  first  tree  we 
saw  ;  afterwards  we  met  with  a  few  others  of  the  same  kind,  but 
they  were  far  from  common.  Being  winter  the  tree  had  no 
leaves,  but  in  their  place  numberless  threads,  by  which  the 
various  offerings,  such  as  cigars,  bread,  meat,  pieces  of  cloth,  &c. 
had  been  suspended.  Poor  Indians,  not  having  anything  better, 
only  pull  a  thread  out  of  their  ponchos,  and  fasten  it  to  the 
tree.  Richer  Indians  are  accustomed  to  pour  spirits  and 
raatt*  into  a  certain  hole,  and  likewise  to  smoke  upwards, 
thinking  thus  to  afford  all  possible  gratification  to  Walleechu. 
To  complete  the  scene,  the  tree  was  surrounded  by  the  bleached 


183S.]  SACRED   TREE. 


bones  of  horses  which  had  been  slaughtered  as  sacrifices.  All 
Indians  of  every  age  and  sex  make  their  offerings  ;  they  then 
think  that  their  horses  will  not  tire,  and  that  they  themselves 
shall  be  prosperous.  The  Gaucho  who  told  me  this,  said  that  in 
the  time  of  peace  he  had  witnessed  this  scene,  and  that  he  and 
others  Used  to  wait  till  the  Indians  had  passed  by,  for  the  sake  of 
stealing  from  Walleechu  the  offerings. 

The  Gauchos  think  that  the  Indians  consider  the  tree  as  the 
god  itself;  but  it  seems  far  more  probable,  that  they  regard  it  as 
the  altar.  The  only  cause  which  I  can  imagine  for  this  choice, 
is  its  being  a  landmark  in  a  dangerous  passage.  The  Sierra  de 
la  Ventana  is  'visible  at  an  immense  distance ;  and  a  Gaucho 
told  me  that  he  was  once  riding  with  an  Indian  a  few  miles  to 
the  north  of  the  Rio  Colorado,  when  the  Indian  commenced 
making  the  same  loud  noise,  which  is  usual  at  the  first  sight  of 
the  distant  tree ;  putting  his  hand  to  his  head,  and  then  pointing 
in  the  direction  of  the  Sierra.  Upon  being  asked  the  reason 
of  this,  the  Indian  said  in  broken  Spanish,  "  First  see  the  Sierra." 
About  two  leagues  beyond  this  curious  tree  we  halted  for  the 
night :  at  this  instant  an  unfortunate  cow  was  spied  by  the  lynx- 
eyed  Gauchos,  who  set  off  in  full  chace,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
dragged  her  in  with  their  lazos,  and  slaughtered  her.  We 
here  had  the  four  necessaries  of  life  "  en  el  campo," — pasture 
for  the  horses,  water  (only  a  muddy  puddle),  meat  and  fire- 
wood. The  Gauchos  were  in  high  spirits  at  finding  all  these 
luxuries ;  and  we  soon  set  to  work  at  the  poor  cow.  This  was 
the  first  night  which  I  passed  under  the  open  sky,  with  the 
gear  of  the  recado  for  my  bed.  There  is  high  enjoyment 
in  the  independence  of  the  Gaucho  life — to  be  able  at  any 
moment  to  pull  up  your  horse,  and  say,  "  Here  we  will  pass 
the  night."  The  death-like  stillness  of  the  plain,  the  dogs 
keeping  watch,  the  gipsy-group  of  Gauchos  making  their  beds 
round  the  fire,  have  left  in  my  mind  a  strongly-marked  picture  of 
this  first  night,  which  will  never  be  forgotten. 

The  next  day  the  country  continued  similar  to  that  above  de- 
scribed. It  is  inhabited  by  few  birds  or  animals  of  any  kind. 
Occasionally  a  deer,  or  a  Guanaco  (wild  Llama)  may  be  seen  ; 
but  the  Agouti  (Cavia  Patagonica)  is  the  commonest  quadruped. 
7"his  aniraal  here  represents  our  hares.  It  differs,  however,  from 


70  RIO  COLORADO.  [CHAP.  IT. 

that  genus  in  many  essential  respects  ;  for  instance,  it  has  only 
three  toes  behind.  It  is  also  nearly  twice  the  size,  weighing 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  pounds.  The  Agouti  is  a  true  friend 
of  the  desert ;  it  is  a  common  feature  in  the  landscape  to  see  two 
or  three  hopping  quickly  one  after  the  other  in  a  straight  line 
across  these  wild  plains.  They  are  found  as  far  north  as  the 
Sierra  Tapalguen  (lat.  37°  30'),  where  the  plain  rather  suddenly 
becomes  greener  and  more  humid  ;  and  their  southern  limit  is 
between  Port  Desire  and  St.  Julian,  where  there  is  no  change  in 
the  nature  of  the  country.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  although 
the  Agouti  is  not  now  found  as  far  south  as  Port  St.  Julian,  yet 
that  Captain  Wood,  in  his  voyage  in  1670,  talks  of  them  as 
being  numerous  there.  What  cause  can  have  altered,  in  a  wide, 
uninhabited,  and  rarely- visited  country,  the  range  of  an  animal 
like  this  ?  It  appears  also  from  the  number  shot  by  Captain 
Wood  in  one  day  at  Port  Desire,  that  they  must  have  been 
considerably  more  abundant  there  formerly  than  at  present. 
Where  the  Bizcacha  lives  and  makes  its  burrows,  the  Agouti 
uses  them;  but  where,  as  at  Bahia  Blanca,  the  Bizcacha  is 
not  found,  the  Agouti  burrows  for  itself.  The  same  thing 
occurs  with  the  little  owl  of  the  Pampas  (Athene  cunicularia), 
which  has  so  often  been  described  as  standing  like  a  sentinel 
at.  the  mouth  of  the  burrows ;  for  in  Banda  Oriental,  owing  to 
the  absence  of  tne  Bizcacha,  it  is  obliged  to  hollow  out  its  own 
habitation. 

The  next  morning,  as  we  approached  the  Rio  Colorado,  the 
appearance  of  the  country  changed  ;  we  soon  came  on  a  plain 
covered  with  turf,  which,  from  its  flowers,  tall  clover,  and  little 
owls,  resembled  the  Pampas.  We  passed  also  a  muddy  swamp 
of  considerable  extent,  which  in  summer  dries,  and  becomes  in- 
crusted  with  various  salts  ;  and  hence  is  called  a  salitral.  It  was 
covered  by  low  succulent  plants,  of  the  same  kind  with  those 
growing  on  the  sea-shore.  The  Colorado,  at  the  pass  where  we 
crossed  it,  is  only  about  sixty  yards  wide ;  generally  it  must  be 
nearly  double  that  width.  Its  course  is  very  tortuous,  being 
marked  by  willow-trees  and  beds  of  reeds :  in  a  direct  line  the 
distance  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  said  to  be  nine  leagues,  but 
by  water  twenty-five.  We  were  delayed  crossing  in  the  canoe 
by  some  immense  troops  of  mares,  which  were  swimming  the 


1833.]  ENCAMPMENT   OF   GENERAL   ROSAS.  71 

river  in  order  to  follow  a  division  of  troops  into  the  interior. 
A  more  ludicrous  spectacle  I  never  beheld  than  the  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  heads,  all  directed  one  way,  with  pointed  ears 
and  distended  snorting  nostrils,  appearing  just  above  the  water 
like  a  great  shoal  of  some  amphibious  animal.  Mare's  flesh  is 
the  only  food  which  the  soldiers  have  when  on  an  expedition. 
This  gives  them  a  great  facility  of  movement ;  for  the  distance 
to  which  horses  can  be  driven  over  these  plains  is  quite  sur- 
prising :  I  have  been  assured  that  an  unloaded  horse  can  travel  a 
hundred  miles  a  day  for  many  days  successively. 

The  encampment  of  General  Rosas  was  close  to  the  river.  It 
consisted  of  a  square  formed  by  waggons,  artillery,  straw  huts, 
&c.  The  soldiers  were  nearly  all  cavalry ;  and  I  should  think 
such  a  villanous,  banditti-like  army  was  never  before  collected 
together.  The  greater  number  of  men  were  of  a  mixed  breed, 
between  Negro,  Indian,  and  Spaniard.  1  know  not  the  reason, 
but  men  of  such  origin  seldom  have  a  good  expression  of  coun- 
tenance. I  called  on  the  Secretary  to  show  my  passport.  He 
began  to  cross-question  me  in  the  most  dignified  and  mysterious 
manner.  By  good  luck  I  had  a  letter  of  recommendation  from 
the  government  of  Buenos  Ayres  *  to  the  commandant  of  Pata- 
gones.  This  was  taken  to  General  Rosas,  who  sent  me  a  very 
obliging  message  ;  and  the  Secretary  returned  all  smiles  and  gra- 
ciousness.  We  took  up  our  residence  in  the  rancho,  or  hovel, 
of  a  curious  old  Spaniard,  who  had  served  with  Napoleon  in  the 
expedition  against  Russia. 

We  stayed  two  days  at  the  Colorado  ;  I  had  little  to  do,  for  the 
surrounding  country  was  a  swamp,  which  in  summer  (December), 
when  the  snow  melts  on  the  Cordillera,  is  overflowed  by  the 
river.  My  chief  amusement  was  watching  the  Indian  families  as 
they  came  to  buy  little  articles  at  the  rancho  where  we  stayed. 
It  was  supposed  that  General  Rosas  had  about  six  hundred  Indian 
allies.  The  men  were  a  tall,  fine  race,  yet  it  was  afterwards 
easy  to  see  in  the  Fuegian  savage  the  same  countenance  rendered 
hideous  by  cold,  want  of  food,  and  less  civilization.  Some 
authors,  in  defining  the  primary  races  of  mankind,  have  sepa- 

*  I  am  bound  to  express,  in  the  strongest  terms,  my  obligation  to  the 
Government  of  Buenos  Ayres  for  the  obliging  manner  in  •which  passports 
to  all  parts  of  the  country  were  given  me,  as  naturalist  of  the  Beagle. 
6 


72  RIO   COLORADO.  [CHAP.  IT. 

rated  these  Indians  into  two  classes  ;  but  this  is  certainly  incor- 
rect. Among  the  young  women  or  chinas,  some  deserve  to  be 
called  even  beautiful.  Their  hair  was  coarse,  but  bright  and 
black;  and  they  wore  it  in  two  plaits  hanging  down  to  the 
waist.  They  had  a  high  colour,  and  eyes  that  glistened  with 
brilliancy ;  their  legs,  feet,  and  arms  were  small  and  elegantly 
formed  ;  their  ankles,  and  sometimes  their  waists,  were  orna- 
mented by  broad  bracelets  of  blue  beads.  Nothing  could  be 
more  interesting  than  some  of  the  family  groups.  A  mother 
with  one  or  two  daughters  would  often  come  to  our  rancho, 
mounted  on  the  same  horse.  They  ride  like  men,  but  with  their 
knees  tucked  up  much  higher.  This  habit,  perhaps,  arises  from 
their  being  accustomed,  when  travelling,  to  ride  the  loaded 
horses.  The  duty  of  the  women  is  to  load  and  unload  the  horses ; 
to  make  the  tents  for  the  night ;  in  short  to  be,  like  the  wives  of 
all  savages,  ueeful  slaves.  The  men  fight,  hunt,  take  care  of  the 
horses,  and  make  the  riding  gear.  One  of  their  chief  indoor 
occupations  is  to  knock  two  stones  together  till  they  become 
round,  in  order  to  make  the  bolas.  With  this  important  weapon 
the  Indian  catches  his  game,  and  also  his  horse,  which  roams  free 
over  the  plain.  In  fighting,  his  first  attempt  is  to  throw  down  the 
horse  of  his  adversary  with  the  bolas,  and  when  entangled  by  the 
fall  to  kill  him  with  the  chuzo.  If  the  balls  only  catch  the  neck 
or  body  of  an  animal,  they  are  often  carried  away  and  lost.  As 
Ihe  making  the  stones  round  is  the  labour  of  two  days,  the 
manufacture  of  the  balls  is  a  very  common  employment.  Several 
of  the  men  and  women  had  their  faces  painted  red,  but  I  never 
saw  the  horizontal  bands  which  are  so  common  among  the 
Fuegians.  Their  chief  pride  consists  in  having  everything  made 
of  silver ;  I  have  seen  a  cacique  with  his  spurs,  stirrups,  handle 
of  his  knife,  and  bridle  made  of  this  metal :  the  head-stall  and 
reins  being  of  wire,  were  not  thicker  than  whipcord ;  and  to  see 
a  fiery  steed  wheeling  about  under  the  command  of  so  light  a 
chain,  gave  to  the  horsemanship  a  remarkable  character  of 
elegance. 

General  Rosas  intimated  a  wish  to  see  me;  a  circumstance 
which  I  was  afterwancls  very  glad  of.  He  is  a  man  of  an  extra- 
ordinary character,  and  has  a  most  predominant  influence  in  the 
country,  which  it  seems  probable  he  will  use  to  its  prosperity 


1833.]  GENERAL   ROSAS.  73 

and  advancement.*  He  is  said  to  be  the  owner  of  seventy-four 
square  leagues  of  land,  and  to  have  about  three  hundred  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle.  His  estates  are  admirably  managed,  and  are 
far  more  productive  of  corn  than  those  of  others.  He  first  gained 
his  celebrity  by  his  laws  for  Jiis  own  estancias,  and  by  disciplin- 
ing several  hundred  men,  so  as  to  resist  with  success  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians.  There  are  many  stories  current  about  the  rigid 
manner  in  which  his  laws  were  enforced.  One  of  these  was, 
that  no  man,  on  penalty  of  being  put  into  the  stocks,  should 
carry  his  knife  on  a  Sunday :  this  being  the  principal  day  for 
gambling  and  drinking,  many  quarrels  arose,  which  from  the 
general  manner  of  fighting  with  the  knife  often  proved  fatal. 
One  Sunday  the  Governor  came  in  great  form  to  pay  the  estan- 
cia  a  visit,  and  General  Rosas,  in  his  hurry,  walked  out  to 
receive  him  with  his  knife,  as  usual,  stuck  in  his  belt.  The 
steward  touched  his  arm,  and  reminded  him  of  the  law; 
upon  which  turning  to  the  Governor,  he  said  he  was  extremely 
sorry,  but  that  he  must  go  into  the  stocks,  and  that  till  let  out, 
he  possessed  no  power  even  in  his  own  house.  After  a  little 
time  the  steward  was  persuaded  to  open  the  stocks,  and  to  let 
him  out,  but  no  sooner  was  this  done,  than  he  turned  to  the 
steward  and  said,  "  You  now  have  broken  the  laws,  so  you  must 
take  my  place  in  the  stocks."  Such  actions  as  these  delighted 
the  Gauchos,  who  all  possess  high  notions  of  their  own  equality 
and  dignity. 

General  Rosas  is  also  a  perfect  horseman — an  accomplishment 
of  no  small  consequence  in  a  country  where  an  assembled  army 
elected  its  general  by  the  following  trial :  A  troop  of  unbroken 
horses  being  driven  into  a  corral,  were  let  out  through  a  gateway, 
above  which  was  a  cross-bar:  it  was  agreed  whoever  should 
drop  from  the  bar  on  one  of  these  wild  animals,  as  it  rushed 
out,  and  should  be  able,  without  saddle  or  bridle,  not  only  to 
ride  it,  but  also  to  bring  it  back  to  the  door  of  the  corral,  should 
be  their  general.  The  person  who  succeeded  was  accordingly 
elected  ;  and  doubtless  made  a  fit  general  for  such  an  army.  Thia 
extraordinary  feat  has  also  been  performed  by  Rosas. 

By  these  means,  and  by  conforming  to  the  dress  and  habits  of 

*  This  prophecy  has  turned  out  entirely  and  miserably  -wrong.     1845 


74  RIO   COLORADO.  [CHAP.  iv. 

Ihe  Gauchos,  he  has  obtained  an  unbounded  popularity  in  the 
country,  and  in  consequence  a  despotic  power.  I  was  assured 
by  an  English  merchant,  that  a  man  who  had  murdered  another, 
when  arrested  and  questioned  concerning  his  motive,  answered, 
"  He  spoke  disrespectfully  of  General  Rosas,  so  I  killed  him." 
At  the  end  of  a  week  the  murderer  was  at  liberty.  This  doubt- 
less was  the  act  of  the  general's  party,  and  not  of  the  general 
himself. 

In  conversation  he  is  enthusiastic,  sensible,  and  very  grave. 
His  gravity  is  carried  to  a  high  pitch  :  I  heard  one  of  his  mad 
buffoons  (for  he  keeps  two,  like  the  barons  of  old)  relate  the 
following  anecdote :  "  I  wanted  very  much  to  hear  a  certain 
piece  of  music,  so  I  went  to  the  general  two  or  three  times  to 
ask  him ;  he  said  to  me,  '  Go  about  your  business,  for  I  am  en- 
gaged.' I  went  a  second  time  ;  he  said,  '  If  you  come  again  I 
will  punish  you.'  A  third  time  I  asked,  and  he  laughed.  I 
rushed  out  of  the  tent,  but  it  was  too  late ;  he  ordered  two 
soldiers  to  catch  and  stake  me.  I  begged  by  all  the  Saints  in 
heaven  he  would  let  me  off;  but  it  would  riot  do  ; — when  the 
general  laughs  he  spares  neither  mad  man  nor  sound."  The 
poor  flighty  gentleman  looked  quite  dolorous,  at  the  very  recol- 
lection of  the  staking.  This  is  a  very  severe  punishment ;  four 
posts  are  driven  into  the  ground,  and  the  man  is  extended  by  his 
arms  and  legs  horizontally,  and  there  left  to  stretch  for  several 
hours.  The  idea  is  evidently  taken  from  the  usual  method  of 
drying  hides.  My  interview  passed  away  without  a  smile,  and 
I  obtained  a  passport  and  order  for  the  government  post-horses, 
and  this  he  gave  me  in  the  most  obliging  and  ready  manner. 

In  the  morning  we  started  for  Bahia  Blanca,  which  we 
reached  in  two  days.  Leaving  the  regular  encampment,  we 
passed  by  the  toldos  of  the  Indians.  These  are  round  like  ovens, 
and  covered  with  hides ;  by  the  mouth  of  each,  a  tapering  chuzo 
was  stuck  in  the  ground.  The  toldos  were  divided  into  separate 
groups,  which  belonged  to  the  different  caciques'  tribes,  and  the 
groups  were  again  divided  intc  smaller  ones,  according  to  the 
relationship  of  the  owners.  For  several  miles  we  travelled 
along  the  valley  of  the  Colorado.  The  alluvial  plains  on 
the  side  appeared  fertile,  and  it  is  supposed  that  they  are  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  corn.  Turning  northward  from  the 


1833.]  SAND-DUNES.  75 

river,  we  soon  entered  on  a  country,  differing  from  the  plains 
south  of  the  river.  The  land  still  continued  dry  and  sterile ; 
but  it  supported  many  different  kinds  of  plants,  and  the  grass, 
though  brown  and  withered,  was  more  abundant,  as  the  thorny 
bushes  were  less  so.  These  latter  in  a  short  space  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  the  plains  were  left  without  a  thicket  to  cover 
their  nakedness.  This  change  in  the  vegetation  marks  the  com- 
mencement of  the  grand  calcareo  argillaceous  deposit,  which 
forms  the  wide  extent  of  the  Pampas,  and  covers  the  granitic 
rocks  of  Banda  Oriental.  From  the  Strait  of  Magellan  to  the 
Colorado,  a  distance  of  about  eight  hundred  miles,  the  face  of 
the  country  is  everywhere  composed  of  shingle :  the  pebbles  are 
chiefly  of  porphyry,  and  probably  owe  their  origin  to  the  rocks 
of  the  Cordillera.  North  of  the  Colorado  this  bed  thins  out,  and 
the  pebbles  become  exceedingly  small,  and  here  the  charac- 
teristic vegetation  of  Patagonia  ceases. 

Having  ridden  about  twenty-five  miles,  we  came  to  a  broad 
belt  of  sand-dunes,  which  stretches,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, 
to  the  east  and  west.  The  sand-hillocks  resting  on  the  clay, 
allow  small  pools  of  water  to  collect,  and  thus  afford  in  this  dry 
country  an  invaluable  supply  of  fresh  water.  The  great  advan- 
tage arising  from  depressions  and  elevations  of  the  soil,  is  not 
often  brought  home  to  the  mind.  The  two  miserable  springs  in 
the  long  passage  between  the  Rio  Negro  and  Colorado  were 
caused  by  trifling  inequalities  in  the  plain  ;  without  them  not  a 
drop  of  water  would  have  been  found.  The  bolt  of  sand-dunes 
is  about  eight  miles  wide ;  at  some  former  period,  it  probably 
formed  the  margin  of  a  grand  estuary,  where  the  Colorado  now 
flows.  In  this  district,  where  absolute  proofs  of  the  recent 
elevation  of  the  land  occur,  such  speculations  can  hardly  be 
neglected  by  any  one,  although  merely  considering  the  physical 
geography  of  the  country.  Having  crossed  the  sandy  tract,  we 
arrived  in  the  evening  at  one  of  the  post-houses ;  and,  as  the 
fresh  horses  were  grazing  at  a  distance,  we  determined  to  pass 
the  night  there. 

The  house  was  situated  at  the  base  of  a  ridge,  between  one 
and  two  hundred  feet  high — a  most  remarkable  feature  in  this 
country.  This  posta  was  commanded  by  a  negro  lieutenant, 
born  in  Africa :  to  his  credit  be  it  said,  there  was  not  a  ranche 


76  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  iv. 

between  the  Colorado  and  Buenos  Ayros  in  nearly  such  neat 
order  as  his.  He  had  a  little  room  for  strangers,  and  a  small 
corral  for  the  horses,  all  made  of  sticks  and  reeds ;  he  had  also 
dug  a  ditch  round  his  house,  as  a  defence  in  case  of  being 
attacked.  This  would,  however,  have  been  of  little  avail,  if  the 
Indians  had  come ;  but  his  chief  comfort  seemed  to  rest  in  the 
thought  of  selling  his  life  dearly.  A  short  time  before,  a  body 
of  Indians  had  travelled  past  in  the  night ;  if  they  had  been 
aware  of  the  posta,  our  black  friend  and  his  four  soldiers  would 
assuredly  have  been  slaughtered.  I  did  not  any  where  meet  a 
more  civil  and  obliging  man  than  this  negro ;  it  was  therefore 
the  more  painful  to  see  that  he  would  not  sit  down  and  eat 
tvith  us. 

In  the  morning  we  sent  for  the  horses  very  early,  and  started 
for  another  exhilarating  gallop.  We  passed  the  Cabeza  del 
Buey,  an  old  name  given  to  the  head  of  a  large  marsh,  which 
extends  from  Bahia  Blanca.  Here  we  changed  horses,  and 
passed  through  some  leagues  of  swamps  and  saline  marshes. 
Changing  horses  for  the  last  time,  we  again  began  wading 
through  the  mud.  My  animal  fell,  and  I  was  well  soused  in 
black  mire  — a  very  disagreeable  accident,  when  one  does  not 
possess  a  change  of  clothes.  Some  miles  from  the  fort  we  met 
a  man,  who  told  us  that  a  great  gun  had  been  fired,  which  is  a 
signal  that  Indians  are  near.  We  immediately  left  the  road, 
and  followed  the  edge  of  a  marsh,  which  when  chased  offers  the 
best  mode  of  escape.  We  were  glad  to  arrive  within  the  walls, 
when  we  found  all  the  alarm  was  about  nothing,  for  the  Indians 
turned  out  to  be  friendly  ones,  who  wished  to  join  General 


Bahia  Blanca  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  a  village.  A  few 
houses  and  the  barracks  for  the  troops  are  enclosed  by  a  deep 
ditch  and  fortified  wall.  The  settlement  is  only  of  recent  stand- 
ing (since  1828)  ;  and  its  growth  has  been  one  of  trouble.  The 
government  of  Buenos  Ayres  unjustly  occupied  it  by  force,  in- 
stead of  following  the  wise  example  of  the  Spanish  Viceroys, 
who  purchased  the  land  near  the  older  settlement  of  the  Rio 
Negro,  from  the  Indians.  Hence  the  need  of  the  fortifications  ; 
hence  the  few  houses  and  little  cultivated  land  without  tho 
limits  of  the  walls :  even  the  cattle  are  not  safe  from  the  attacks 


1833.]  AN   ATTACK   BY   THE   INDIANS.  77 

of  the  Indians  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  plain,  on  which  the 
fortress  stands. 

The  part  of  the  harbour  where  the  Beagle  intended  to  anchor 
being  distant  twenty-five  miles,  I  obtained  from  the  Comman- 
dant a  guide  and  horses,  to  take  me  to  see  whether  she  had 
arrived.  Leaving  the  plain  of  green  turf,  which  extended  along 
the  course  of  a  little  brook,  we  soon  entered  on  a  wide  level  waste 
consisting  either  of  sand,  saline  marshes,  or  bare  mud.  Some 
parts  were  clothed  by  low  thickets,  and  others  with  those  succu- 
lent plants,  which  luxuriate  only  where  salt  abounds.  Bad  as 
the  country  was,  ostriches,  deers,  agoutis,  and  armadilloes,  were 
abundant.  My  guide  told  me,  that  two  months  before  he  had  a 
most  narrow  escape  of  his  life  :  he  was  out  hunting  with  two  other 
men,  at  no  great  distance  from  this  part  of  the  country,  when 
they  were  suddenly  met  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  giving  chace, 
soon  overtook  and  killed  his  two  friends.  His  own  horse's  legs 
were  also  caught  by  the  bolas ;  but  he  jumped  off,  and  with  his 
knife  cut  them  free :  while  doing  this  he  was  obliged  to  dodge 
round  his  horse  and  received  two  severe  wounds  from  their 
chuzos.  Springing  on  the  saddle,  he  managed,  by  a  most  wt>n- 
derful  exertion,  just  to  keep  ahead  of  the  long  spears  of  his  pur- 
suers, who  followed  him  to  within  sight  of  the  fort.  From  that 
time  there  was  an  order  that  no  one  should  stray  far  from  the 
settlement.  I  did  not  know  of  this  when  I  started,  and  was 
surprised  to  observe  how  earnestly  my  guide  watched  a  deer, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  frightened  from  a  distant  quarter. 

We  found  the  Beagle  had  not  arrived,  and  consequently  set 
out  on  our  return,  but  the  horses  soon  tiring,  we  were  obliged 
to  bivouac  on  the  plain.  In  the  morning  we  had  caught  an 
armadillo,  which,  although  a  most  excellent  dish  when  roasted 
in  its  shell,  did  not  make  a  very  substantial  breakfast  and  dinner 
for  two  hungry  men.  The  ground  at  the  place  where  we  stopped 
for  the  niglit,  was  incrusted  with  a  layer  of  sulphate  of  soda, 
and  hence,  of  course,  was  without  water.  Yet  many  of  the 
smaller  rodents  managed  to  exist  even  here,  and  the  tucutuco 
was  making  its  odd  little  grunt  beneath  my  head,  during  half 
the  night.  Our  horses  were  very  poor  ones,  and  in  the  morning 
they  were  soon  exhausted  from  not  having  had  any  thing  to 
drink,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to  walk.  About  noon  the  dogs 


78  BAHIA   BLANCA.  [CHAP.  iv. 

killed  a  kid,  which  we  roasted.  I  ate  some  of  it,  but  it  made 
me  intolerably  thirsty.  This  was  the  more  distressing  as  the 
road,  from  some  recent  rain,  was  full  of  little  puddles  of  clear 
water,  yet  not  a  drop  was  drinkable.  I  had  scarcely  been  twenty 
hours  without  water,  and  only  part  of  the  time  under  a  hot  sun, 
yet  the  thirst  rendered  me  very  weak.  How  people  survive  two 
or  three  days  under  such  circumstances,  I  cannot  imagine :  at 
the  same  time,  I  must  confess  that  my  guide  did  not  suffer  at  all, 
and  was  astonished  that  one  day's  deprivation  should  be  so  trou- 
blesome to  me. 

I  have  several  times  alluded  to  the  surface  of  the  ground 
being  incrusted  with  salt.  This  phenomenon  is  quite  different 
from  that  of  the  salinas,  and  more  extraordinary.  In  many 
parts  of  South  America,  wherever  the  climate  is  moderately 
dry,  these  incrustations  occur ;  but  I  have  nowhere  seen  them  so 
abundant  as  near  Bahia  Blanca.  The  salt  here,  and  in  other 
parts  of  Patagonia,  consists  chiefly  of  sulphate  of  soda  with  some 
common  salt.  As  long  as  the  ground  remains  moist  in  these 
salitrales  (as  the  Spaniards  improperly  call  them,  mistaking  this 
substance  for  saltpetre),  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  an  extensive 
plain  composed  of  a  black,  muddy  soil,  supporting  scattered 
tufts  of  succulent  plants.  On  returning  through  one  of  these 
tracts,  after  a  week's  hot  weather,  one  is  surprised  to  s&e  square 
miles  of  the  plain  white,  as  if  from  a  slight  fall  of  snow,  here 
and  there  heaped  up  by  the  wind  into  little  drifts.  This  latter 
appearance  is  chiefly  caused  by  the  salts  being  drawn  up,  during 
the  slow  evaporation  of  the  moisture,  round  blades  of  dead  grass, 
stumps  of  wood,  and  pieces  of  broken  earth,  instead  of  being 
crystallized  at  the  bottoms  of  the  puddles  of  water.  The  salitrales 
occur  either  on  level  tracts  elevated  only  a  few  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  or  on  alluvial  land  bordering  rivers.  M.  Par- 
chappe*  found  that  the  saline  incrustation  on  the  piain,  at  the 
distance  of  some  miles  from  the  sea,  consisted  chiefly  of  sulphate 
of  soda,  with  only  seven  per  cent,  of  common  salt ;  whilst  nearer 
to  the  coast,  the  common  salt  increased  to  37  parts  in  a  hundred. 
This  circumstance  would  tempt  one  to  believe  that  the  sulphate 
of  soda  is  generated  in  the  soil,  from  the  muriate,  left  on  the 

*  Voyage  dans  1'Amerique  Merid.  par  M.  A.  d'Orbigny.  Part.  Hist 
torn.  i.  p.  664. 


1833.]  AN  ADVENTURE.  79 

surface  during  the  slow  and  recent  elevation  of  this  dry  country. 
The  whole  phenomenon  is  well  worthy  the  attention  of  natural- 
ists. Have  the  succulent,  salt-loving  plants,  which  are  well 
known  to  contain  much  soda,  the  power  of  decomposing  the 
muriate?  Does  the  black  fetid  mud,  abounding  with  organic 
matter,  yield  the  sulphur  and  ultimately  the  sulphuric  acid  ? 

Two  days  afterwards  I  again  rode  to  the  harbour :  when  not 
far  from  our  destination,  my  companion,  the  same  man  as  before, 
spied  three  people  hunting  on  horseback.  He  immediately  dis- 
mounted, and  watching  them  intently,  said,  "  They  don't  ride 
like  Christians,  and  nobody  can  leave  the  fort."  The  three 
hunters  joined  company,  and  likewise  dismounted  from  their 
horses.  At  last  one  mounted  again  and  rode  over  the  hill  out 
of  sight.  My  companion  said,  "  We  must  now  get  on  our 
horses :  load  your  pistol ;"  and  he  looked  to  his  own  sword.  I 
asked,  "  Are  they  Indians  ?" — "  Quien  sabe?  (who  knows?)  if 
there  are  no  more  than  three,  it  does  not  signify."  It  then  struck 
me,  that  the  one  man  had  gone  over  the  hill  to  fetch  the  rest  of 
his  tribe.  I  suggested  this ;  but  all  the  answer  I  could  extort 
was,  "Quien  sabe?"  His  head  and  eye  never  for  a  minute 
ceased  scanning  slowly  the  ii^tant  horizon.  I  thought  his  un- 
common coolness  too  good  a  joke,  and  asked  him  why  he  did  not 
return  home.  I  was  startled  when  he  answered,  "  We  are 
returning,  but  in  a  line  so  as  to  pass  near  a  swamp,  into  which 
we  can  gallop  the  horses  as  far  as  they  can  go,  and  then  trust  to 
our  own  legs ;  so  that  there  is  no  danger."  I  did  not  feel  quite 
so  confident  of  this,  and  wanted  to  increase  our  pace.  He  said, 
"  No,  not  until  they  do."  When  any  little  inequality  concealed 
us,  we  galloped  ;  but  when  in  sight,  continued  walking.  At  last 
we  reached  a  valley,  and  turning  to  the  left,  galloped  quickly  to 
the  foot  of  a  hill ;  he  gave  me  his  horse  to  hold,  made  the  dogs 
lie  down,  and  then  crawled  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  reconnoitre. 
He  remained  in  this  position  for  some  time,  and  at  last,  bursting 
out  in  laughter,  exclaimed,  "  Mugeres  !  "  (women  !)  He  knew 
them  to  be  the  wife  and  sister-in-law  of  the  major's  son,  hunting 
for  ostrich's  eggs.  I  have  described  this  man's  conduct,  because 
he  acted  under  the  full  impression  that  they  were  Indians.  As 
soon,  however,  as  the  absurd  mistake  was  found  out,  he  gave  ine 


80  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  iv. 

a  hundred  reasons  why  they  could  not  have  been  Indians ;  but 
all  these  were  forgotten  at  the  time.  We  then  rode  on  in  peace 
and  quietness  to  a  low  point  called  Punta  Alta,  whence  we  could 
see  nearly  the  whole  of  the  great  harbour  of  Bahia  Blanca. 

The  wide  expanse  of  water  is  choked  up  by  numerous  great 
mud-banks,  whicli  the  inhabitants  call  Cangrejales,  or  crabberies, 
from  the  number  of  small  crabs.  The  mud  is  so  soft  that  it  is 
impossible  to  walk  over  them,  even  for  the  shortest  distance. 
Many  of  the  banks  have  their  surfaces  covered  with  long  rushes, 
.he  tops  of  which  alone  are  visible  at  high  water.  On  one  oc- 
casion, when  in  a  boat,  we  were  so  entangled  by  these  shallows 
that  we  could  hardly  find  our  way.  Nothing  was  visible  but 
the  flat  beds  of  mud  ;  the  day  was  not  very  clear,  and  there  was 
much  refraction,  or  as  the  sailors  expressed  it,  "  things  loomed 
high."  The  only  object  within  our  view  which  was  not  level 
was  the  horizon ;  rushes  looked  like  bushes  unsupported  in  the 
air,  and  water  like  mud-banks,  and  mud-banks  like  water. 

We  passed  the  night  in  Punta  Alta,  and  I  employed  myself  in 
searching  for  fossil  bones ;  this  point  being  a  perfect  catacomb 
for  monsters  of  extinct  races.  The  evening  was  perfectly  calm 
and  clear ;  the  extreme  monotony  of  the  view  gave  it  an  interest 
even  in  the  midst  of  mud-banks  and  gulls,  sand-hillocks  and 
solitary  vultures.  In  riding  back  in  the  morning  we  came  across 
a  very  fresh  track  of  a  Puma,  but  did  not  succeed  in  finding 
it.  We  saw  also  a  couple  of  Zorillos,  or  skunks, — odious 
animals,  which  are  far  from  uncommon.  In  general  appearance 
the  Zorillo  resembles  a  polecat,  but  it  is  rather  larger,  and  much 
thicker  in  proportion.  Conscious  of  its  power,  it  roams  by  clay 
about  the  open  plain,  and  fears  neither  dog  nor  man.  If  a  dog 
is  urged  to  the  attack,  its  courage  is  instantly  checked  by  a  few 
drops  of  the  fetid  oil,  which  brings  on  violent  sickness  and  run- 
ning at  the  nose.  Whatever  is  once  polluted  by  it,  is  for  ever 
useless.  Azara  says  the  smell  can  be  perceived  at  a  league  dis- 
tant ;  more  than  once,  when  entering  the  harbour  of  Monte 
Video,  the  wind  being  off  shore,  we  have  perceived  the  odour 
on  board  the  Beagle.  Certain  it  is,  that  every  animal  most  will- 
ingly makes  room  for  the  Zorillo. 


1833.]  BAHIA  BLAXCA.  81 


CHAPTEE  V. 

fiahia  Blanca — Geology — Numerous  gigantic  extinct  Quadrupeds— Recent 
Extinction — Longevity  of  Species — Large  Animals  do  not  require  a  luxu- 
riant vegetation — Southern  Africa — Siberian  Fossils — Two  Species  of 
Ostrich — Habits  of  Oven-bird — Armadilloes — Venomous  Snake,  Toad, 
Lizard— Hybernation  of  Animals — Habits  of  Sea-Pen — Indians  Wars  and 
Massacres — Arrow-head,  antiquarian  Relic. 

BAHIA  BLANCA. 

THE  Beagle  arrived  here  on  the  24th  of  August,  and  a  week  after- 
wards sailed  for  the  Plata.  With  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  consent  I 
was  left  behind,  to  travel  by  land  to  Buenos  Ayres.  I  will  here 
add  some  observations,  which  were  made  during  this  visit  and 
on  a  previous  occasion,  when  the  Beagle  was  employed  in  sur- 
veying the  harbour. 

The  plain,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  from  the  coast, 
belongs  to  the  great  Pampean  formation,  which  consists  in  part 
of  a  reddish  clay,  and  in  part  of  a  highly  calcareous  marly  rock. 
Nearer  the  coast  there  are  some  plains  formed  from  the  wreck 
of  the  upper  plain,  and  from  mud,  gravel,  and  sand  thrown  up 
by  the  sea  during  the  slow  elevation  of  the  land,  of  which  eleva- 
tion we  have  evidence  in  upraised  beds  of  recent  shells,  and  in 
rounded  pebbles  of  pumice  scattered  over  the  country.  At 
Punta  Alta  we  have  a  section  of  one  of  these  later-formed  little 
plains,  which  is  highly  interesting  from  the  number  and  extra- 
ordinary character  of  the  remains  of  gigantic  land-animals  em- 
bedded in  it.  These  have  been  fully  described  by  Professor 
Owen,  in  the  Zoology  of  the  voyage  of  the  Beagle,  and  are  depo- 
sited in  the  College  of  Surgeons.  I  will  here  give  only  a  brief 
outline  of  their  nature. 

First,  parts  of  three  heads  and  other  bones  of  the  Megathe- 
rium, the  huge  dimensions  of  which  are  expressed  by  its  name. 
Secondly,  the  Megalonyx,  a  great  allied  animal.  Thirdly,  the 
Scclidotlierium,  also  an  allied  animal,  of  which  I  obtained  a 


82  BAIIIA   BLAXCA.  [CHAP.  T. 

nearly  perfect  skeleton.  It  must  have  been  as  large  as  a  rhino- 
ceros :  in  the  structure  of  its  head  it  comes,  according  to  Mr. 
Owen,  nearest  to  the  Cape  Ant-eater,  but  in  some  other  respects  it 
approaches  to  the  armadilloes.  Fourthly,  the  Mylodon  Darwinii, 
ft  closely  related  genus  of  little  inferior  size.  Fifthly,  another  gi- 
gantic edental  quadruped.  Sixthly,  a  large  animal,  with  an  osseous 
soat  in  compartments,  very  like  that  of  an  armadillo.  Seventhly, 
an  extinct  kind  of  horse,  to  which  I  shall  have  again  to  refer. 
Eighthly,  a  tooth  of  a  Pachydermatous  animal,  probably  the  same 
with  the  Macrauchenia,  a  huge  beast  with  a  long  neck  like  a  camel, 
which  I  shall  also  refer  to  again.  Lastly,  the  Toxodon,  perhaps 
one  of  the  strangest  animals  ever  discovered  :  in  size  it  equalled  an 
elephant  or  megatherium,  but  the  structure  of  its  teeth,  as  Mr. 
Owen  states,  proves  indisputably  that  it  was  intimately  related  to 
the  Gnawers,  the  order  which,  at  the  present  day,  includes  most 
of  the  smallest  quadrupeds :  in  many  details  it  is  allied  to  the 
Pachydermata :  judging  from  the  position  of  its  eyes,  ears,  and 
nostrils,  it  was  probably  aquatic,  like  the  Dugong  and  Manatee, 
to  which  it  is  also  allied.  How  wonderfully  are  the  different 
Orders,  at  the  present  time  so  well  separated,  blended  together  in 
different  points  of  the  structure  of  the  Toxodon  ! 

The  remains  of  these  nine  great  quadrupeds,  and  many  de- 
tached bones  were  found  embedded  on  the  beach,  within  the 
space  of  about  200  yards  square.  It  is  a  remarkable  circum- 
stance that  so  many  different  species  should  be  found  together ; 
and  it  proves  how  numerous  in  kind  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
this  country  must  have  been.  At  the  distance  of  about  thirty 
miles  from  P.  Alta,  in  a  cliff  of  red  earth,  I  found  several  frag- 
ments of  bones,  some  of  large  size.  Among  them  were  the  teeth 
of  a  gnawer,  equalling  in  size  and  closely  resembling  those  of 
the  Capybara,  whose  habits  have  been  described  ;  and  therefore, 
probably,  an  aquatic  animal.  There  was  also  part  of  the  head  of 
a  Ctenomys ;  the  species  being  different  from  the  Tucutuco,  but 
with  a  close  general  resemblance.  The  red  earth,  like  that  of 
the  Pampas,  in  which  these  remains  were  embedded,  contains,  ac- 
cording to  Professor  Ehrenberg,  eight  fresh-water  and  one  salt- 
water infusorial  animalcule ;  therefore,  probably,  it  was  an 
estuary  deposit. 

The  remains  at  Punta  Alta  were  embedded  in  stratified  gravel 


1833.]  EXTINCT   QUADRUPEDS.  83 

and  reddish  mud,  just  such  as  the  sea  might  now  wash  up  on  a 
shallow  bank.  They  were  associated  with  twenty-three  species 
of  shells,  of  which  thirteen  are  recent  and  four  others  very 
closely  related  to  recent  forms ;  whether  ,he  remaining  ones  are 
extinct  or  simply  unknown,  must  be  uoubtful,  as  few  collections 
of  shells  have  been  made  on  this  coast.  As,  however,  the  recent 
species  were  embedded  in  nearly  the  same  proportional  numbers 
with  those  now  living  in  the  bay,  I  think  there  can  be  little 
doubt,  that  this  accumulation  belongs  to  a  very  late  tertiary 
period.  From  the  bones  of  the  Scelidotheriiim,  including  even 
the  knee-cap,  being  intombed  in  their  proper  relative  positions, 
and  from  the  osseous  armour  of  the  great  armadillo-like  animal 
being  so  well  preserved,  together  with  the  bones  of  one  of 
its  legs,  we  may  feel  assured  that  these  remains  were  fresh 
and  united  by  their  ligaments,  when  deposited  in  the  gravel 
together  with  the  shells.  Hence  we  have  good  evidence  that 
the  above  enumerated  gigantic  quadrupeds,  more  different  from 
those  of  the  present  day  than  the  oldest  of  the  tertiary  quadru- 
peds of  Europe,  lived  whilst  the  sea  was  peopled  with  most  of  its 
present  inhabitants ;  and  we  have  confirmed  that  remarkable  law 
so  often  insisted  on  by  Mr.  Lyell,  namely,  that  the  "  longevity 
of  the  species  in  the  mammalia  is  upon  the  whole  inferior  to  that 
of  the  testacea."* 

The  great  size  of  the  bones  of  the  Megatheroid  animals,  includ- 
ing the  Megatherium,  Megalonyx,  Scelidotherium,  and  Mylodon, 
is  truly  wonderful.  The  habits  of  life  of  these  animals  were  a 
complete  puzzle  to  naturalists,  until  Professor  Owenf  lately 
solved  the  problem  with  remarkable  ingenuity.  The  teeth  in- 
dicate, by  their  simple  structure,  that  these  Megatheroid  animals 
lived  on  vegetable  food,  and  probably  on  the  leaves  and  small 
twigs  of  trees ;  their  ponderous  forms  and  great  strong  curved 
claws  seem  so  little  adapted  for  locomotion,  that  some  eminent 
naturalists  have  actually  believed,  that,  like  the  sloths,  to  which 
they  are  intimately  related,  they  subsisted  by  climbing  back 
downwards  on  trees,  and  feeding  on  the  leaves.  It  was  a  bold, 

*  Principles  of  Geology,  vol.  iv.  p.  40. 

t  This  theory  was  first  develop***!  in  the  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the 
Beagle,  aud  subsequently  in  Professor  Oweu!s  Meaioir  on  Mylodon  ro- 
bustus. 


84  BAHIA   BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

not  to  say  preposterous,  idea  to  conceive  even  antediluvian  trees, 
with  branches  strong  enough  to  bear  animals  as  large  as  ele- 
phants. Professor  Owen,  with  far  more  probability,  believes 
that,  instead  of  climbing  on  the  trees,  they  pulled  the  branches 
down  to  them,  and  tore  up  the  smaller  ones  by  the  roots,  and  so 
fed  on  the  leaves.  The  colossal  breadth  and  weight  of  their 
hinder  quarters,  which  can  hardly  be  imagined  without  having 
been  seen,  become,  on  this  view,  of  obvious  service,  instead  of 
being  an  incumbrance :  their  apparent  clumsiness  disappears. 
With  their  great  tails  and  their  huge  heels  firmly  fixed  like  a 
tripod  on  the  ground,  they  could  freely  exert  the  full  force  of 
their  most  powerful  arms  and  great  claws.  Strongly  rooted, 
indeed,  must  that  tree  have  been,  which  could  have  resisted  such 
force  !  The  Mylodon,  moreover,  was  furnished  with  a  long 
extensile  tongue  like  that  of  the  giraife,  which,  by  one  of  those 
beautiful  provisions  of  nature,  thus  reaches  with  the  aid  of  its 
long  neck  its  leafy  food.  I  may  remark,  that  in  Abj'ssinia  the 
elephant,  according  to  Bruce,  when  it  cannot  reach  with  its 
proboscis  the  branches,  deeply  scores  with  its  tusks  the  trunk  of 
the  tree,  up  and  down  and  all  round,  till  it  is  sufficiently 
weakened  to  be  broken  down. 

The  beds  including  the  above  fossil  remains,  stand  only  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  high-water ;  and  hence 
the  elevation  of  the  land  has  been  small  (without  there  has 
been  an  intercalated  period  of  subsidence,  of  which  we  have  no 
evidence)  since  the  great  quadrupeds  wandered  over  the  sur- 
rounding plains ;  and  the  external  features  of  the  country  must 
then  have  been  very  nearly  the  same  as  now.  What,  it  may  natu- 
rally be  asked,  was  the  character  of  the  vegetation  at  that  period  ; 
was  the  country  as  wretchedly  sterile  as  it  now  is  ?  As  so  many 
of  the  co-embedded  shells  are  the  same  with  those  now  living  in 
the  bay,  I  was  at  first  inclined  to  think  that  the  former  vegeta- 
tion was  probably  similar  to  the  existing  one ;  but  this  would 
have  been  an  erroneous  inference,  for  some  of  these  same  shells 
live  on  the  luxuriant  coast  of  Brazil ;  and  generally,  the  character 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea  are  useless  as  guides  to  judge  of 
those  on  the  land.  Nevertheless,  from  the  following  considera- 
tions, I  do  not  believe  that  the  simple  fact  of  many  gigantic 
quadrupeds  having  lived  on  the  plains  round  Bahia  Blanca,  is 


1833.]  FOOD   OF   LARGE   QUADRUPEDS.  85 

any  sure  guide  that  they  formerly  were  clothed  with  a  luxuriant 
vegetation  :  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  sterile  country  a  little 
southward,  near  the  Rio  Negro,  with  its  scattered  thorny  trees, 
would  support  many  and  large  quadrupeds. 

That  large  animals  require  a  luxuriant  vegetation,  has  been  a 
general  assumption  which  has  passed  from  one  work  to  another ; 
hut  I  do  not  hesifate  to  say  that  it  is  completely  false,  and  that 
it  has  vitiated  the  reasoning  of  geologists  on  some  points  of  great 
interest  in  the  ancient  history  of  the  world.  The  prejudice  has 
probably  been  derived  from  India,  and  the  Indian  islands,  where 
troops  of  elephants,  noble  forests,  and  impenetrable  jungles,  are 
associated  together  in  every  one's  mind.  If,  however,  we  refer 
to  any  work  of  travels  through  the  southern  parts  of  Africa,  we 
shall  find  allusions  in  almost  every  page  either  to  the  desert  cha- 
racter of  the  country,  or  to  the  numbers  of  large  animals  inha- 
biting it.  The  same  thing  is  rendered  evident  by  the  many 
engravings  which  have  been  published  of  various  parts  of  the 
interior.  When  the  Beagle  was  at  Cape  Town,  I  made  an 
excursion  of  some  days'  length  into  the  country,  which  at  least 
was  sufficient  to  render  that  which  I  had  read  more  fully  intel- 
ligible. 

Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  who,  at  the  head  of  his  adventurous 
party,  has  lately  succeeded  in  passing  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn, 
informs  me  that,  taking  into  consideration  the  whole  of  the 
southern  part  of  Africa,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  being  a 
sterile  country.  On  the  southern  and  south-eastern  coasts  there 
are  some  fine  forests,  but  with  these  exceptions,  the  traveller  may 
pass  for  days  together  through  open  plains,  covered  by  a  poor 
and  scanty  vegetation.  It  is  difficult  to  convey  any  accurate 
idea  of  degrees  of  comparative  fertility  ;  but  it  may  be  safely 
said  that  the  amount  of  vegetation  supported  at  any  one  time* 
by  Great  Britain,  exceeds,  perhaps  even  tenfold,  the  quantity  on 
an  equal  area,  in  the  interior  parts  of  Southern  Africa.  The 
fact  that  bullock- waggons  can  travel  in  any  direction,  excepting 
near  the  coast,  without  more  than  occasionally  half  an  hour's 
delay  in  cutting  down  bushes,  gives,  perhaps,  a  more  definite 

*  I  raean  by  this  to  exclude  the  total  amount,  -which  may  have  been  suc- 
cessively produced  and  consumed  during  a  given  period. 


BAHIA   BLANCA.  [CHAP. 


notion  of  the  scantiness  of  the  vegetation.  Now,  if  we  look  to 
the  animals  inhabiting  these  wide  plains,  we  shall  find  their 
numbers  extraordinarily  great,  and  their  bulk  immense.  We 
must  enumerate  the  elephant,  three  species  of  rhinoceros,  and 
probably,  according  to  Dr.  Smith,  two  others,  the  hippopotamus, 
the  giraffe,  the  bos  caffer — as  large  as  a  full-grown  bull,  and  the 
elan — but  little  less,  two  zebras,  and  the  quaccha,  two  gnus,  and 
several  antelopes  even  larger  than  these  latter  animals.  It  may 
be  supposed  that  although  the  species  are  numerous,  the  indivi- 
duals of  each  kind  are  few.  By  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Smith,  I 
am  enabled  to  show  that  the  case  is  very  different.  He  informs 
me,  that  in  lat.  24°,  in  one  day's  march  with  the  bullock- wag- 
gons, he  saw,  without  wandering  to  any  great  distance  on  either 
side,  between  one  hundred  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  rhinoceroses, 
which  belonged  to  three  species :  the  same  day  he  saw  several 
herds  of  giraffes,  amounting  together  to  nearly  a  hundred  ;  and 
that,  although  no  elephant  was  observed,  yet  they  are  found  in 
this  district.  At  the  distance  of  a  little  more  than  one  hour's 
march  from  their  place  of  encampment  on  the  previous  night, 
his  party  actually  killed  at  one  spot  eight  hippopotamuses,  and 
saw  many  more.  In  this  same  river  there  were  likewise  croco- 
diles. Of  course  it  was  a  case  quite  extraordinary,  to  see  so 
many  great  animals  crowded  together,  but  it  evidently  proves 
that  they  must  exist  in  great  numbers.  Dr.  Smith  describes  the 
country  passed  through  that  day,  as  "  being  thinly  covered  with 
grass,  and  bushes  about  four  feet  high,  and  still  more  thinly 
with  mimosa- trees."  The  waggons  were  not  prevented  travelling 
in  a  nearly  straight  line. 

Besides  these  large  animals,  every  one  the  least  acquainted 
with  the  natural  history  of  the  Cape,  has  read  of  the  herds  of 
antelopes,  which  can  be  compared  only  with  the  flocks  of 
migratory  birds.  The  numbers  indeed  of  the  lion,  panther, 
and  hyaena,  and  the  multitude  of  birds  of  prey,  plainly  speak  of 
the  abundance  of  the  smaller  quadrupeds:  one  evening  seven 
lions  were  counted  at  the  same  time  prowling  round  Dr.  Smith's 
encampment.  As  this  able  naturalist  remarked  to  me,  the  carnage 
each  day  in  Southern  Africa  must  indeed  be  terrific !  I  confess 
it  is  truly  surprising  how  such  a  number  of  animals  can  find 
support  in  a  country  producing  so  little  food.  The  larger  qua- 


1833.]  FOOD   OF  LARGE   QUADRUPEDS.  87 

drupeds  no  doubt  roam  over  wide  tracts  in  search  of  it ;  and 
their  food  chiefly  consists  of  underwood,  which  probably  contains 
much  nutriment  in  a  small  bulk.  Dr.  Smith  also  informs  me 
that  the  vegetation  has  a  rapid  growth  ;  no  sooner  is  a  part  con- 
sumed, than  its  place  is  supplied  by  a  fresh  stock.  There  can 
be  no  doubt,  however,  that  our  ideas  respecting  the  apparent 
amount  of  food  necessary  for  the  support  of  large  quadrupeds  are 
much  exaggerated :  it  should  have  been  remembered  that  the 
camel,  an  animal  of  no  mean  bulk,  has  always  been  considered  as 
the  emblem  of  the  desert. 

The  belief  that  where  large  quadrupeds  exist,  the  vegetation 
must  necessarily  be  luxuriant,  is  the  more  remarkable,  because 
the  converse  is  far  from  true.  Mr.  Burchell  observed  to  me 
that  when  entering  Brazil,  nothing  struck  him  more  forcibly 
than  the  splendour  of  the  South  American  vegetation  contrasted 
with  that  of  South  Africa,  together  with  the  absence  of  all  large 
quadrupeds.  In  his  Travels,*  he  has  suggested  that  the  com- 
parison of  the  respective  weights  (if  there  were  sufficient  data) 
of  an  equal  number  of  the  largest  herbivorous  quadrupeds  of 
each  country  would  be  extremely  curious.  If  we  take  on  the 
one  side,  the  elephant,f  hippopotamus,  giraffe,  bos  caffer,  elan, 
certainly  three,  and  probably  five  species  of  rhinoceros ;  and  on 
the  American  side,  two  tapirs,  the  guanaco,  three  deer,  the  vicuna, 
peccari,  capybara  (after  which  we  must,  choose  from  the  monkeys 
to  complete  the  number),  and  then  place  these  two  groups  along- 
side each  other,  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive  ranks  more  dispro- 
portionate in  size.  After  the  above  facts,  we  are  compelled  to 

*  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  South  Africa,  vol.  ii.,  p.  207. 

t  The  elephant  which  was  killed  at  Exeter  Change  was  estimated  (heing 
partly  weighed)  at  five  tons  and  a  half.  The  elephant  actress,  as  I  was  in- 
formed, weighed  one  ton  less ;  so  that  we  may  take  five  as  the  average  of  a 
full-grown  elephant.  I  was  told  at  the  Surrey  Gardens,  that  a  hippopotamus 
which  was  sent  to  England  cut  up  into  pieces  was  estimated  at  three  tons  and 
a  half,  we  will  call  it  three.  From  these  premises  we  may  give  three  tons 
and  a  half  to  each  of  the  five  rhinoceroses ;  perhaps  a  ton  to  the  giraffe,  and 
half  to  the  bos  caffer  as  well  as  to  the  elan  (a  large  ox  weighs  from  1200  to 
1500  pounds).  This  will  give  an  average  (from  the  above  estimates)  of  2' 7 
of  a  ton  for  the  ten  largest  herbivorous  animals  of  Southern  Africa.  In 
South  America,  allowing  1200  pounds  for  the  two  tapirs  together,  550  for  the 
guanaco  and  vicuna,  500  for  three  deer,  300  for  the  capybara,  peccari,  and  a 
monkey,  we  shall  have  an  average  of  250  pounds,  which  I  believe  is  over- 
stating the  result.  The  ratio  will  therefore  be  as  6048  to  250,  or  24  to  1,  for 
the  ten  largest  animals  from  the  two  continents. 


BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 


conclude,  against  anterior  probability,*  that  among  the  mam- 
malia there  exists  no  close  relation  between  the  bulk  of  the 
species,  and  the  quantity  of  the  vegetation,  in  the  countries 
which  they  inhabit. 

With  regard  to  the  number  of  large  quadrupeds,  there  cer- 
tainly exists  no  quarter  of  the  globe  which  will  bear  comparison 
with  Southern  Africa.  After  the  different  statements  which 
have  been  given,  the  extremely  desert  character  of  that  region 
will  not  be  disputed.  In  the  European  division  of  the  world, 
we  must  look  back  to  the  tertiary  epochs,  to  find  a  condition  of 
things  among  the  mammalia,  resembling  that  now  existing  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Those  tertiary  epochs,  which  we 
are  apt  to  consider  as  abounding  to  an  astonishing  degree  with 
large  animals,  because  we  find  the  remains  of  many  ages  accu- 
mulated at  certain  spots,  could  hardly  boast  of  more  large 
quadrupeds  than  Southern  Africa  does  at  present.  If  we 
speculate  on  the  condition  of  the  vegetation  during  those  epochs, 
we  are  at  least  bound  so  far  to  consider  existing  analogies,  as 
not  to  urge  as  absolutely  necessary  a  luxuriant  vegetation, 
when  we  see  a  state  of  things  so  totally  different  at  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 

We  knowf  that  the  extreme  regions  of  North  America,  many 
degrees  beyond  the  limit  where  the  ground  at  the  depth  of  a  few 
feet  remains  perpetually  congealed,  are  covered  by  forests  of 
large  and  tall  trees.  In  a  like  manner,  in  Siberia,  we  have 
woods  of  birch,  fir,  aspen,  and  larch,  growing  in  a  iatitudej 
(64°),  where  the  mean  temperature  of  the  air  falls  below  the 
freezing  point,  and  where  the  earth  is  so  completely  frozen,  that 

*  If  we  suppose  the  case  of  the  discovery  of  a  skeleton  of  a  Greenland 
frhale  in  u  fossil  state,  not  a  single  cetaceous  animal  being  known  to  exist, 
what  naturalist  would  have  ventured  conjecture  on  the  possibility  of  a  car- 
cass so  gigantic  being  supported  on  the  minute  Crustacea  and  mollusca  living 
in  the  frozen  seas  of  the  extreme  North  ? 

t  See  Zoological  Remarks  to  Capt.  Back's  Expedition,  by  Dr.  Richardson. 
He  says,  "  The  subsoil  north  of  latitude  50°  is  perpetually  frozen,  the  thaw 
ou  the  coast  not  penetrating  above  three  feet,  and  at  Bear  Lake,  in  latitude 
64°,  not  more  than  twenty  inches.  The  frozen  substratum  does  not  of  itself 
destroy  vegetation,  fur  forests  flourish  on  the  surface,  at  a  distance  from  the 
coast." 

J  See  Humboldt,  Fragment  Asiatvques,  p.  386 :  Barton's  Geography  of 
Plants :  and  Malte  Brun.  In  the  latter  work  it  is  said  that  the  limit  of  the 
growth  of  trees  in  Siberia  may  be  drawn  under  the  parallel  of  70°. 


1833.]  SOUTH  AMERICAN   OSTRICH.  89 

the  carcass  of  an  animal  embedded  in  it  is  perfectly  preserved. 
With  these  facts  we  must  grant,  as  far  as  quantity  alone  of  vege 
lation  is  concerned,  that  the  great  quadrupeds  of  the  later  ter- 
tiary epochs  might,  in  most  parts  of  Northern  Europe  and  Asia, 
have  lived  on  the  spots  where  their  remains  are  now  found.  1 
do  not  here  speak  of  the  kind  of  vegetation  necessary  for  their 
support ;  because,  as  there  is  evidence  of  physical  changes,  and 
as  the  animals  have  become  extinct,  so  may  we  suppose  that  the 
species  of  plants  have  likewise  been  changed. 

These  remarks,  I  may  be  permitted  to  add,  directly  bear  on 
the  case  of  the  Siberian  animals  preserved  in  ice.  The  firm  con- 
viction of  the  necessity  of  a  vegetation  possessing  a  character  of 
tropical  luxuriance,  to  support  such  large  animals,  and  the  im- 
possibility of  reconciling  this  with  the  proximity  of  perpetual 
congelation,  was  one  chief  cause  of  the  several  theories  of  sudden 
revolutions  of  climate,  and  of  overwhelming  catastrophes,  which 
were  invented  to  account  for  their  entombment.  I  am  far  from 
supposing  that  the  climate  has  not  changed  since  the  period 
when  those  animals  lived,  which  now  lie  buried  in  the  ice.  At 
present  I  only  wish  to  show,  that  as  far  as  quantity  of  food  alone 
is  concerned,  the  ancient  rhinoceroses  might  have  roamed  over 
the  steppes  of  central  Siberia  (the  northern  parts  probably  being 
under  water)  even  in  their  present  condition,  as  well  as  the 
living  rhinoceroses  and  elephants  over  the  Karros  of  Southern 
Africa. 

I  will  now  give  an  account  of  the  habits  of  some  of  the  more 
interesting  birds  which  are  common  on  the  wild  plains  of  North- 
ern Patagonia  ;  and  first  for  the  largest,  or  South  American 
ostrich.  The  ordinary  habits  of  the  ostrich  are  familiar  to  every 
one.  They  live  on  vegetable  matter,  such  as  roots  and  grass  ; 
but  at  Bahia  Blanca  I  have  repeatedly  seen  three  or  four  come 
down  at  low  water  to  the  extensive  mud-banks  which  are  then 
dry,  for  the  sake,  as  the  Gauchos  say,  of  feeding  on  small  fish. 
Although  the  ostrich  in  its  habits  is  so  shy,  wary,  and  solitary, 
and  although  so  fleet  in  its  pace,  it  is  caught  without  much  dif- 
ficulty by  the  Indian  or  Gaucho  armed  with  the  bolas.  When 
several  horsemen  appear  in  a  semicircle,  it  becomes  confounded, 
and  does  not  know  which  way  to  escape.  They  generally  prclei 


90  BAHIA   BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

running  against  the  wind  ;  yet  at  the  first  start  they  expand 
their  wings,  and  like  a  vessel  make  all  sail.  On  one  fine  hoi 
day  I  saw  several  ostriches  enter  a  bed  of  tall  rushes,  where  they 
squatted  concealed,  till  quite  closely  approached.  It  is  not  gene- 
rally known  that  ostriches  readily  take  to  the  water.  Mr.  King 
informs  me  that  at  the  Bay  of  San  Bias,  and  at  Port  Valdes  in 
Patagonia,  he  saw  these  birds  swimming  several  times  from 
island  to  island.  They  ran  into  the  water  both  when  driven 
down  to  a  point,  and  likewise  of  their  own  accord  when  not 
frightened :  the  distance  crossed  was  about  two  hundred  yards. 
When  swimming,  very  little  of  their  bodies  appear  above  water ; 
their  necks  are  extended  a  little  forward,  and  their  progress  is 
slow.  On  two  occasions  I  saw  some  ostriches  swimming  across 
the  Santa  Cruz  river,  where  its  course  was  about  four  hundred 
yards  wide,  and  the  stream  rapid.  Captain  Sturt,*  when  de- 
scending the  Murrumbidgee,  in  Australia,  saw  two  emus  in  the 
act  of  swimming. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  country  readily  distinguish,  even  at  a 
distance,  the  cock  bird  from  the  hen.  The  former  is  larger  and 
darker-coloured,t  and  has  a  bigger  head.  The  ostrich,  I  believe 
the  cock,  emits  a  singular,  deep-toned,  hissing  note:  when  first 
I  heard  it,  standing  in  the  midst  of  some  sand-hillocks,  I  thought 
it  was  made  by  some  wild  beast,  for  it  is  a  sound  that  one  cannot 
tell  whence  it  comes,  or  from  how  far  distant.  When  we  were 
at  Bahia  Blanca  in  the  months  of  September  and  October,  the 
eggs,  in  extraordinary  numbers,  were  found  all  over  the  country. 
They  lie  either  scattered  and  single,  in  which  case  they  are 
never  hatched,  and  are  called  by  the  Spaniards  huachos  ;  or  they 
are  collected  together  into  a  shallow  excavation,  which  forms  the 
nest.  Out  of  the  four  nests  which  I  saw,  three  contained  twenty- 
two  eggs  each,  and  the  fourth  twenty-seven.  In  one  day's 
hunting  on  horseback  sixty-four  eggs  were  found  ;  forty-four  of 
these  were  in  two  nests,  and  the  remaining  twenty,  scattered 
huachos.  The  Gauchos  unanimously  affirm,  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  their  statement,  that  the  male  bird  alone  hatches 
the  eggs,  and  for  some  time  afterwards  accompanies  the  young. 

*  Sturt's  Travels,  vol.  ii.  p.  74. 

f  A  Gauche  assured  me  that  he  had  once  seen  a  snow-white  or  Albino 
rariety,  and  that  it  was  a  most  beautiful  bird. 


1833.]  HABITS   OF  THE   OSTRICH.  91 

The  cock  when  on  the  nest  lies  very  close ;  I  have  myself  almost 
ridden  over  one.  It  is  asserted  that  at  such  times  they  are  occa- 
sionally fierce,  and  even  dangerous,  and  that  they  have  been 
known  to  attack  a  man  on  horseback,  trying  to  kick  and  leap  on 
him.  My  informer  pointed  out  to  me  an  old  man,  whom  he  had 
seen  much  terrified  by  one  chasing  him.  I  observe  in  Burchell's 
travels  in  South  Africa,  that  he  remarks,  "  Having  killed  a  male 
ostrich,  and  the  feathers  being  dirty,  it  was  said  by  the  Hoi  ten- 
tots  to  be  a  nest  bird."  I  understand  that  the  male  emu  in  the 
Zoological  Gardens  takes  charge  of  the  nest:  this  habit,  there- 
fore, is  common  to  the  family. 

The  Gauchos  unanimously  affirm  that  several  females  lay  in 
one  nest.  I  have  been  positively  told  that  four  or  five  hen  birds 
have  been  watched  to  go  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  one  after  the 
other,  to  the  same  nest.  I  may  add,  also,  that  it  is  believed  in 
Africa,  that  two  or  more  females  lay  in  one  nest.*  Although 
this  habit  at  first  appears  very  strange,  I  think  the  cause  may 
be  explained  in  a  simple  manner.  The  number  of  eggs  in  thp 
nest  vanes  from  twenty  to  forty,  and  even  to  fifty  ;  and  accord- 
ing to  Azara,  sometimes  to  seventy  or  eighty.  Now  although 
it  is  most  probable,  from  the  number  of  eggs  found  in  one  dis- 
trict being  so  extraordinarily  great  in  proportion  to  the  parent 
birds,  and  likewise  from  the  state  of  the  ovarium  of  the  hen,  that 
she  may  in  the  course  of  the  season  lay  a  large  number,  yet  the 
time  required  must  be  very  long.  Azara  states,|  that  a  female 
in  a  state  of  domestication  laid  seventeen  eggs,  each  at  the  inter- 
val of  three  days  one  from  another.  If  the  hen  was  obliged  to 
hatch  her  own  eggs,  before  the  last  was  laid  the  first  probably 
would  be  addled ;  but  if  each  laid  a  few  eggs  at  successive 
periods,  in  different  nests,  and  several  hens,  as  is  stated  to  be  the 
case,  combined  together,  then  the  eggs  in  one  collection  would 
be  nearly  of  the  same  age.  If  the  number  of  eggs  in  one  of 
these  nests  is,  as  I  believe,  not  greater  on  an  average  than  the 
number  laid  by  one  female  in  the  season,  then  there  must  be  as 
many  nests  as  females,  and  each  cock  bird  will  have  its  fair  share 
of  the  labour  of  incubation  ;  and  that  during  a  period  when  the 


*  Burchell's  Travels,  vol.  i.  p.  280. 
f  Azara,  vol.  iv.  p.  1 73. 


92  BAHIA   BLANC  A.  [CHAP.  v. 

females  probably  could  not  sit,  from  net  having  finished  laying.* 
I  have  before  mentioned  the  great  numbers  of  huachos,  or  de- 
serted eggs  ;  so  that  in  one  day's  hunting  twenty  were  found  in 
this  state.  It  appears  odd  that  so  many  should  be  wasted.  Does 
it  not  arise  from  the  difficulty  of  several  females  associating  to- 
gether, and  finding  a  male  ready  to  undertake  the  office  of  incu- 
bation ?  It  is  evident  that  there  must  at  first  be  some  degree  of 
association  between  at  least  two  females ;  otherwise  the  eggs 
would  remain  scattered  over  the  wide  plains,  at  distances  far  too 
great  to  allow  of  the  male  collecting  them  into  one  nest :  some 
authors  have  believed  that  the  scattered  eggs  were  deposited  for 
the  young  birds  to  feed  on.  This  can  hardly  be  the  case  in 
America,  because  the  huachos,  although  often  found  addled  and 
putrid,  are  generally  whole. 

When  at  the  Rio  Negro  in  Northern  Patagonia,  I  repeatedly 
heard  the  Gauchos  talking  of  a  very  rare  bird  which  they  called 
Avestruz  Petise.  They  described  it  as  being  less  than  the  com- 
mon ostrich  (which  is  there  abundant),  but  with  a  very  close 
general  resemblance.  They  said  its  colour  was  dark  and  mottled, 
and  that  its  legs  were  shorter,  and  feathered  lower  down  than 
those  of  the  common  ostrich.  It  is  more  easily  caught  by  the 
bolas  than  the  other  species.  The  few  inhabitants  who  had  seen 
both  kinds,  affirmed  they  could  distinguish  them  apart  from  a 
long  distance.  The  eggs  of  the  small  species  appeared,  however, 
more  generally  known  ;  and  it  was  remarked,  with  surprise,  that 
they  were  very  little  less  than  those  of  the  Rhea,  but  of  a  slightly 
different  form,  and  with  a  tinge  of  pale  blue.  This  species  occurs 
most  rarely  on  the  plains  bordering  the  Rio  Negro ;  but  about  a 
degree  and  a  half  further  south  they  are  tolerably  abundant. 
When  at  Port  Desire,  in  Patagonia  (lat.  48°),  Mr.  Martens 
shot  an  ostrich ;  and  I  looked  at  it,  forgetting  at  the  moment, 
in  the  most  unaccountable  manner,  the  whole  subject  of  the 
Petises,  and  thought  it  was  a  not  full-grown  bird  of  the  com- 
mon sort.  It  was  cooked  and  eaten  before  my  memory  returned 

*  Liechtenstein,  however,  asserts  (Travels,  vol.  ii.  p.  25)  that  the  hens  b^gk 
sitting  when  they  have  laid  ten  or  twelve  eggs ;  and  that  they  continue 
laying,  I  presume,  in  another  nest.  This  appears  to  me  very  improbable 
He  asserts  that  four  or  five  hens  associate  for  incubation  with  one  cock,  who 
site  only  at  night 


1833.]  THE   AVESTRUZ   PETISE.  93 

Fortunately  the  head,  neck,  legs,  wings,  many  of  the  larger 
feathers,  and  a  large  part  of  the  skin,  had  been  preserved ;  and 
from  these  a  very  nearly  perfect  specimen  has  been  put  together, 
and  is  now  exhibited  in  the  museum  of  the  Zoological  Society. 
Mr.  Gould,  in  describing  this  new  species,  has  done  me  the 
honour  of  calling  it  after  my  name. 

Among  the  Patagonian  Indians  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  we 
found  a  half  Indian,  who  had  lived  some  years  with  the  tribe, 
but  had  been  born  in  the  northern  provinces.  I  asked  him  if  he 
had  ever  heard  of  the  Avestruz  Petise  ?  He  answered  by  saying, 
"  Why  there  are  none  others  in  these  southern  countries."  He 
informed  me  that  the  number  of  eggs  in  the  nest  of  the  petise 
is  considerably  less  than  in  that  of  the  other  kind,  namely,  not 
more  than  fifteen  on  an  average ;  but  he  asserted  that  more  than 
one  female  deposited  them.  At  Santa  Cruz  we  saw  several  of 
these  birds.  They  were  excessively  wary :  I  think  they  could 
see  a  person  approaching  when  too  far  off  to  be  distinguished 
themselves.  In  ascending  the  river  few  were  seen ;  but  in  our 
quiet  and  rapid  descent,  many,  in  pairs  and  by  fours  or  fives, 
were  observed.  It  was  remarked  that  this  bird  did  not  expand 
its  win^s,  when  first  starting  at  full  speed,  after  the  manner  of 
the  northern  kind.  In  conclusion  I  may  observe,  that  the  Stru- 
thio  rhea  inhabits  the  country  of  La  Plata  as  far  as  a  little  south 
of  the  Rio  Negro  in  lat.  41°,  and  that  the  Struthio  Darwinii 
takes  its  place  in  Southern  Patagonia ;  the  part  about  the  Rio 
Negro  being  neutral  territory.  M.  A.  d'Orbigny,*  when  at  the 
Rio  Negro,  made  great  exertions  to  procure  this  bird,  but  never 
had  the  good  fortune  to  succeed.  Dobrizhoffer  f  long  ago  was 
aware  of  there  being  two  kinds  of  ostriches ;  he  says,  "  You 
must  know,  moreover,  that  Emus  differ  in  size  and  habits  in 
different  tracts  of  land;  for  those  that  inhabit  the  plains  of 
Buenos  Ayres  and  Tucuman  are  larger,  and  have  black,  white, 
and  gray  feathers;  those  near  to  the  Strait  of  Magellan  are 
smaller  and  more  beautiful,  for  their  white  feathers  are  tipped 

*  When  at  the  Rio  Negro,  we  heard  much  of  the  indefatigable  labours  of 
iLis  naturalist.  M.  Alcide  d'Orbigny,  during  the  years  1825  to  1833,  tra- 
versed several  large  portions  of  South  America,  and  has  made  a  collection, 
and  is  now  publishing  the  results  on  a  scale  of  magnificence,  which  at  once 
places  himself  in  the  list  of  American  travellers  second  only  to  Humbolit. 

•<•  Account  of  the  Abipones,  A.D.  1749,  vol.  i.  (English  translation),  p.  314 


94  BAHIA   BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

with  black  at  the  extremity,  and  their  black  ones  in  like  manner 
terminate  in  white." 

A  very  singular  little  bird,  Tinochorus  rumicivorus,  is  here 
common :  in  its  habits  and  general  appearance,  it  nearly  equally 
partakes  of  the  characters,  different  as  they  are,  of  the  quail  and 
snipe.  The  Tinochorus  is  found  in  the  whole  of  southern  South 
America,  wherever  there  are  sterile  plains,  or  open  dry  pasture 
land.  It  frequents  in  pairs  or  small  flocks  the  most  desokte 
places,  where  scarcely  another  living  creature  can  exist.  Upon 
being  approached  they  squat  close,  and  then  are  very  difficult  to 
be  distinguished  from  the  ground.  When  feeding  they  walk 
rather  slowly,  with  their  legs  wide  apart.  They  dust  themselves 
in  roads  and  sandy  places,  and  frequent  particular  spots,  where 
they  may  be  found  day  after  day :  like  partridges,  they  take  wing 
in  a  flock.  In  all  these  respects,  in  the  muscular  gizzard  adapted 
for  vegetable  food,  in  the  arched  beak  and  fleshy  nostrils,  short 
legs  and  form  of  foot,  the  Tinochorus  has  a  close  affinity  with 
quails.  But  as  soon  as  the  bird  is  seen  flying,  its  whole  appear- 
ance changes ;  the  long  pointed  wings,  so  different  from  those  in 
the  gallinaceous  order,  the  irregular  manner  of  flight,  and  plain- 
tive cry  uttered  at  the  moment  of  rising,  recal  the  idea  of  a 
snipe.  The  sportsmen  of  the  Beagle  unanimously  called  it  the 
short-billed  snipe.  To  this  genus,  or  rather  to  the  family  of  the 
Waders,  its  skeleton  shows  that  it  is  really  related. 

The  Tinochorus  is  closely  related  to  some  other  South  Ame- 
rican birds.  Two  species  of  the  genus  Attagis  are  in  almost 
every  respect  ptarmigans  in  their  habits ;  one  lives  in  Tierra  del 
Fuego,  above  the  limits  of  the  forest  land ;  and  the  other  jusi 
beneath  the  snow-line  on  the  Cordillera  of  Central  Chile.  A 
bird  of  another  closely  allied  genus,  Chionis  alba,  is  an  inha- 
bitant of  the  antarctic  regions ;  it  feeds  on  sea-weed  and  shells 
on  the  tidal  rocks.  Although  not  web-footed,  from  some  unac- 
countable habit,  it  is  frequently  met  with  far  out  at  sea.  This 
small  family  of  birds  is  one  of  those  which,  from  its  varied  rela- 
tions to  other  families,  although  at  present  offering  only  difficul- 
ties to  the  systematic  naturalist,  ultimately  may  assist  in  revealing 
the  grand  scheme,  common  to  the  present  and  past  ages,  on 
which  organized  beings  have  been  created. 


1833.]  THE   OVEN-BIRD.  95 

The  genus  Furnarius  contains  several  species,  all  small  birds, 
living  on  the  ground,  and  inhabiting  open  dry  countries.  In 
structure  they  cannot  be  compared  to  any  European  form.  Or- 
nithologists have  generally  included  them  among  the  creepers, 
although  opposed  to  that  family  in  every  habit.  The  best  known 
species  is  the  common  oven-bird  of  La  Plata,  the  Casara  or 
housemaker  of  the  Spaniards.  The  nest,  whence  it  takes  its 
name,  is  placed  in  the  most  exposed  situations,  as  on  the  top  of 
a  post,  a  bare  rock,  or  on  a  cactus.  It  is  composed  of  mud  and 
bits  of  straw,  and  has  strong  thick  walls :  in  shape  it  precisely 
resembles  an  oven,  or  depressed  beehive.  The  opening  is  large 
and  arched,  and  directly  in  front,  within  the  nest,  there  is  a 
partition,  which  reaches  nearly  to  the  roof,  thus  forming  a  passage 
or  antechamber  to  the  true  nest. 

Another  and  smaller  species  of  Furnarius  (F.  cunicularius), 
resembles  the  oven-bird  in  the  general  reddish  tint  of  its  plu- 
mage, in  a  peculiar  shrill  reiterated  cry,  and  in  an  odd  manner 
of  running  by  starts.  From  its  affinity,  the  Spaniards  call  it 
Casarita  (or  little  housebuilder),  although  its  nidification  is 
quite  different.  The  Casarita  builds  its  nest  at  the  bottom  of  a 
narrow  cylindrical  hole,  which  is  said  to  extend  horizontally  to 
nearly  six  feet  under  ground.  Several  of  the  country  people 
told  »!">,  that  when  boys,  they  had  attempted  to  dig  out  the  nest, 
but  had  scarcely  ever  succeeded  in  getting  to  the  end  of  the 
passage.-  The  bird  chooses  any  low  bank  of  firm  sandy  soil  by 
the  side  of  a  road  or  stream.  Here  (at  Bahia  Blanca)  the  walls 
round  the  houses  are  built  of  hardened  mud  ;  and  I  noticed  that 
one,  which  enclosed  a  courtyard  where  I  lodged,  was  bored 
through  by  round  holes  in  a  score  of  places.  On  asking  the 
owner  the  cause  of  this,  he  bitterly  complained  of  the  little 
casarita,  several  of  which  I  afterwards  observed  at  work.  It  is 
rather  curious  to  find  how  incapable  these  birds  must  be  of  ac- 
quiring any  notion  of  thickness,  for  although  they  were  con- 
stantly flitting  over  the  low  wall,  they  continued  vainly  to 
bore  through  it,  thinking  it  an  excellent  bank  for  their  nests.  1 
do  not  doubt  that  each  bird,  as  often  as  it  came  to  daylight  on 
the  opposite  side,  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  marvellous  fact. 

I  have  already  mentioned  nearly  all  the  mammalia  common 
hi  this  country  Of  armadilloes  three  species  occur,  namely, 


BAIIIA  BLAXCA.  [CHAP.  v. 


the  L>asypus  mitnitus  or  picky,  the  D.  villosus  or  peludo,  and 
the  npar.  The  first  extends  ten  degrees  further  south  than  any 
otner  kind :  a  fourth  species,  the  Mulita,  does  not  come  as  far 
south  as  Bahia  Blanca.  The  four  species  have  nearly  similar 
habits;  the  peludo,  however,  is  nocturnal,  while  the  others 
wander  by  day  over  the  open  plains,  feeding  on  beetles,  larvae, 
roots,  and  even  small  snakes.  The  apar,  commonly  called  ma- 
tnco,  is  remarkable  by  having  only  three  moveable  bands ;  the 
rest  of  its  tesselated  covering  being  nearly  inflexible.  It  has  the 
power  of  rolling  itself  into  a  perfect  sphere,  like  one  kind  oi 
English  woodlouse.  In  this  state  it  is  safe  from  the  attack  of 
dogs ;  for  the  dog  not  being  able  to  take  the  whole  in  its  mouth, 
tries  to  bite  one  side,  and  the  ball  slips  away.  The  smooth  hard 
covering  of  the  mataco  offers  a  better  defence  than  the  sharp 
spines  of  the  hedgehog.  The  pichy  prefers  a  very  dry  soil ;  and 
the  sand-dunes  near  the  coast,  where  for  many  months  it  can 
never  taste  water,  is  its  favourite  resort :  it  often  tries  to  escape 
notice,  by  squatting  close  to  the  ground.  In  the  course  of  a 
day's  ride,  near  Bahia  Blanca,  several  were  generally  met  with. 
The  instant  one  was  perceived,  it  was  necessary,  in  order  to 
catch  it,  almost  to  tumble  off  one's  horse ;  for  in  soft  soil  the 
animal  burrowed  so  quickly,  that  its  hinder  quarters  would 
almost  disappear  before  one  could  alight.  It  seems  almost  a 
pity  to  kill  such  nice  little  animals,  for  as  a  Gaucho  said,  while 
sharpening  his  knife  on  the  back  of  one,  "  Son  tan  -mansos" 
(they  are  so  quiet). 

Of  reptiles  there  are  many  .kinds :  one  snake  (a  Trigono- 
cephalus,  or  Cophias),  from  the  size  of  the  poison  channel  in  its 
fangs,  must  be  very  deadly.  Cuvier,  in  opposition  to  some  other 
naturalists,  makes  this  a  sub-genus  of  the  rattlesnake,  and  inter- 
mediate between  it  and  the  viper.  In  confirmation  of  this  opi- 
nion, I  observed  a  fact,  which  appears  to  me  very  curious  and 
instructive,  as  showing  how  every  character,  even  though  it  may 
be  in  some  degree  independent  of  structure,  has  a  tendency  to 
vary  by  slow  degrees.  The  extremity  of  the  tail  of  this  snake 
is  terminated  by  a  point,  which  is  very  slightly  enlarged  ;  and 
as  the  animal  glides  along,  it  constantly  vibrates  the  last  inch  ; 
and  this  part  striking  against  the  dry  grass  and  brushwood,  pro- 
duces a  rattling  noise,  which  can  be  distinctly  heard  at  the  dis- 


1833.]  CURIOUS    SNAKE.  97 

taiice  of  six  feet.  As  often  as  the  animal  was  irritated  01 
surprised,  its  tail  was  shaken  ;  and  the  vibrations  were  extremely 
rapid.  Even  as  long  as  the  body  retained  its  irritability,  a 
tendency  to  this  habitual  movement  was  evident.  This  Trigo- 
nocephalus  has,  therefore,  in  some  respects  the  structure  of  a 
/iper,  with  the  habits  of  a  rattlesnake :  the  noise,  however,  being 
produced  by  a  simpler  device.  The  expression  of  this  snake's 
face  was  hideous  and  fierce  ;  the  pupil  consisted  of  a  vertical  slit 
In  a  mottled  and  coppery  iris ;  the  jaws  were  broad  at  the  base, 
and  the  nose  terminated  in  a  triangular  projection.  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  saw  any  thing  more  ugly,  excepting,  perhaps, 
some  of  the  vampire  bats.  I  imagine  this  repulsive  aspect  ori- 
ginates from  the  features  being  placed  in  positions,  with  respect 
to  each  other,  somewhat  proportional  to  those  of  the  human 
face ;  and  thus  we  obtain  a  scale  of  hideousness. 

Amongst  the  Batrachian  reptiles,  I  found  only  one  little  toari 
(Phryniscus  nigricans),  which  was  most  singular  from  its  colour. 
If  we  imagine,  first,  that  it  had  been  steeped  in  the  blackest  ink, 
and  then,  when  dry,  allowed  to  crawl  over  a  board,  freshly 
painted  with  the  brightest  vtrnnllion,  so  as  to  colour  the  soles  oi 
its  feet  and  parts  of  its  stomach,  a  good  idea  of  its  appearance 
will  be  gained.  If  it  had  been  an  unnamed  species,  surely  it 
ought  to  have  been  called  Diabolicus,  for  it  is  a  fit  toad  to 
preach  in  the  ear  of  Eve.  Instead  of  being  nocturnal  in  its 
habits,  as  other  toads  are,  and  living  in  damp  obscure  recesses, 
it  crawls  during  the  heat  of  the  day  about  the  dry  sand-hillocks 
and  arid  plains,  where  not  a  single  drop  of  water  can  be  found. 
It  must  necessarily  depend  on  the  dew  for  its  moisture ;  and  this 
probably  is  absorbed  by  the  skin,  for  it  is  known,  that  these 
reptiles  possess  great  powers  of  cutaneous  absorption.  At  Mal- 
donado,  I  found  one  in  a  situation  nearly  as  dry  as  at  Bahia 
Blanca,  and  thinking  to  give  it  a  great  treat,  carried  it  to  a  pool 
of  water ;  not  only  was  the  little  animal  unable  to  swim,  but,  I 
think  without  help  it  would  soon  have  been  drowned. 

Of  lizards  there  were  many  kinds,  but  only  one  (Proctotretus 
multimaculatus)  remarkable  from  its  habits.  It  lives  on  the 
bare  sand  near  the  sea  coast,  and  from  its  mottled  colour,  the 
brownish  scales  being1  speckled  with  white,  yellowish  red,  and 
dirty  blue,  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  the  surrounding 


BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP. 


surface.  When  frightened,  it  attempts  to  avoid  discovery  by 
feigning  death,  with  outstretched  legs,  depressed  body,  and 
closed  eyes :  if  further  molested,  it  buries  itself  with  great  quick- 
ness in  the  loose  sand.  This  lizard,  from  its  flattened  body  and 
short  legs,  cannot  run  quickly. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  remarks  on  the  hybernation  of  animals 
in  this  part  of  South  America.  When  we  first  arrived  at  Bahia 
Blanca,  September  7th,  1832,  we  thought  nature  had  granted 
scarcely  a  living  creature  to  this  sandy  and  dry  country.  By 
digging,  however,  in  the  ground,  several  insects,  large  spiders, 
and  lizards  were  found  in  a  half  torpid  state.  On  the  15th,  a 
few  animals  began  to  appear,  and  by  the  18th  (three  days  from 
the  equinox),  every  thing  announced  the  commencement  of 
spring.  The  plains  were  ornamented  by  the  flowers  of  a  pink 
wood-sorrel,  wild  peas,  cenotherge,  and  geraniums ;  and  the  birds 
began  to  lay  their  eggs.  Numerous  Lamellicorn  and  Hetero- 
merous  insects,  the  latter  remarkable  for  their  deeply  sculptured 
bodies,  were  slowly  crawling  about ;  while  the  lizard  tribe,  the 
constant  inhabitants  of  a  sandy  soil,  darted  about  in  every  direc- 
tion. During  the  first  eleven  aays,  whilst  nature  was  dormant, 
the  mean  temperature  taken  from  observations  made  every  two 
hours  on  board  the  Beagle,  was  51°;  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
day  the  thermometer  seldom  ranged  above  55°.  On  the  eleven 
succeeding  days,  in  which  all  living  things  became  so  animated, 
the  mean  was  58°,  and  the  range  in  the  middle  of  the  day  between 
sixty  and  seventy.  Here  then  an  increase  of  seven  degrees  in 
mean  temperature,  but  a  greater  one  of  extreme  heat,  was  suffi- 
cient to  awake  the  functions  of  life.  At  Monte  Video,  from 
which  we  had  just  before  sailed,  in  the  twenty-three  days  included 
between  the  26th  of  July  and  the  19th  of  August,  the  mean 
temperature  from  276  observations  was  58°.4  ;  the  mean  hottest 
day  being  es0.^,  and  the  coldest  46°.  The  lowest  point  to 
which  the  thermometer  fell  was  41°.5,  and  occasionally  in  the 
middle  of  the  day  it  rose  to  69°  or  70°.  Yet  with  this  high 
temperature,  almost  every  beetle,  several  genera  of  spiders, 
snails,  and  land-shells,  toads  and  lizards  were  all  lying  torpid 
beneath  stones.  But  we  have  seen  that  at  Bahia  Blanca,  which 
is  four  degrees  southward,  and  therefore  with  a  climate  only  a 
irery  little  coluer,  this  same  temperature  with  a  rather  less  ox- 


1833.]  SEA-PEN. 


treme  heat,  was  sufficient  to  awake  all  orders  of  animated  beings. 
This  shows  how  nicely  the  stimulus  required  to  arouse  hybernat- 
ing  animals  is  governed  by  the  usual  climate  of  the  district,  and 
not  by  the  absolute  heat.  It  is  well  known  that  within  the 
tropics,  the  hybernation,  or  more  properly  aestivation,  of  animals 
is  determined  not  by  the  temperature,  but  by  the  times  of 
drought.  Near  Rio  de  Janeiro,  I  was  at  first  surprised  to  ob- 
serve, that,  a  few  days  after  some  little  depressions  had  been 
filled  with  water,  they  were  peopled  by  numerous  full-grown 
shells  and  beetles,  which  must  have  been  lying  dormant.  Hum- 
boldt  has  related  the  strange  accident  of  a  hovel  having  been 
erected  over  a  spot  where  a  young  crocodile  lay  buried  in  the 
hardened  mud.  He  adds,  "  The  Indians  often  find  enormous 
boas,  which  they  call  Uji,  or  water  serpents,  in  the  same  lethar- 
gic state.  To  reanimate  them,  they  must  be  irritated  or  wetted 
with  water." 

I  will  only  mention  one  other  animal,  a  zoophyte  (I  believe 
Virgularia  Patagonica)  a  kind  of  sea-pen.  It  consists  of  a  thin, 
straight,  fleshy  stem,  with  alternate  rows  of  polypi  on  each  side, 
and  surrounding  an  elastic  stony  axis,  varying  in  length  from 
eight  inches  to  two  feet.  The  stem  at  one  extremity  is  truncate, 
but  at  the  other  is  terminated  by  a  vermiform  fleshy  appendage. 
The  stony  axis  which  gives  strength  to  the  stem  may  be  traced 
at  this  extremity  into  a  mere  vessel  filled  with  granular  matter. 
At  low  water  hundreds  of  these  zoophytes  might  be  seen,  pro- 
jecting like  stubble,  with  the  truncate  end  upwards,  a  few  inches 
above  the  surface  of  the  muddv  sajid.  When  touched  or  pulled 
they  suddenly  drew  themselves  in  with  force,  so  as  nearly  or 
quite  to  disappear.  By  this  action,  the  highly  elastic  axis  must 
be  bent  at  the  lower  extremity,  where  it  is  naturally  slightly 
curved  ;  and  I  imagine  it  is  by  this  elasticity  alone  that  the 
zoophyte  is  enabled  to  rise  again  through  the  mud.  Each  poly- 
pus, though  closely  united  to  its  brethren,  has  a  distinct  mouth, 
body,  and  tentacula.  Of  these  polypi,  in  a  large  specimen, 
there  must  be  many  thousands  ;  yet  we  see  that  they  act  by  one 
movement :  they  have  also  one  central  axis  connected  with  a 
system  of  obscure  circulation,  and  the  ova  are  produced  in  an 
organ  distinct  from  the  separate  individuals.*  Well  may  one  be 

*  The  cavities  leading  from  the  fleshy  compartments  of  the  extremity, 


100  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

allowed  to  ask,  what  is  an  individual  ?  It  is  always  interesting  to 
discover  the  foundation  of  the  strange  tales  of  the  old  voyagers  ; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  habits  of  this  Virgularia  explain 
one  such  case.  Captain  Lancaster,  in  his  voyage*  in  1601,  nar- 
rates that  on  the  sea-sands  of  the  Island  of  Sombrero,  in  the 
East  Indies,  he  "  found  a  small  twig  growing  up  like  a  young 
tree,  and  on  offering  to  pluck  it  up  it  shrinks  down  to  the  ground, 
and  sinks,  unless  held  very  hard.  On  being  plucked  up,  a  great 
worm  is  found  to  be  its  root,  and  as  the  tree  groweth  in  great- 
ness, so  doth  the  worm  diminish ;  and  as  soon  as  the  worm  is 
entirely  turned  into  a  tree  it  rooteth  in  the  earth,  and  so  becomes 
great.  This  transformation  is  one  of  the  strangest  wonders 
that  I  saw  in  all  my  travels  :  for  if  this  tree  is  plucked  up,  while 
young,  and  the  leaves  and  bark  stripped  off,  it  becomes  a  hard 
stone  when  dry,  much  like  white  coral :  thus  is  this  worm  twice 
transformed  into  different  natures.  Of  these  we  gathered  and 
brought  home  many." 

During  my  stay  at  Bahia  Blanca,  while  waiting  for  the  Beagle, 
the  place  was  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement,  from  rumours  of 
wars  and  victories,  between  the  troops  of  Rosas  and  the  wild 
Indians.  One  day  an  account  came  that  a  small  party  forming 
one  of  the  postas  on  the  line  to  Buenos  Ayres,  had  been  found 
all  murdered.  The  next  day  three  hundred  men  arrived  from 
the  Colorado,  under  the  command  of  Commandant  Miranda.  A 
large  portion  of  these  men  were  Indian*  (mansos,  or  tame), 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Cacique  Bernantio.  They  passed 

were  filled  with  a  yellow  pulpy  matter,  which,  examined  under  a  micro- 
scope, presented  an  extraordinary  appearance.  The  mass  consisted  of 
rounded,  semi-transparent,  irregular  grains,  aggregated  together  into  par- 
ticles of  various  sizes.  All  such  particles,  and  the  separate  grains,  possessed 
the  power  of  rapid  movement ;  generally  revolving  around  different  axes, 
but  sometimes  progressive.  The  movement  was  visible  with  a  very  weak 
power,  but  even  with  the  highest  its  cause  could  not  be  perceived.  It  was 
very  different  from  the  circulation  of  the  fluid  in  the  elastic  bag,  containing 
the  thin  extremity  of  the  axis.  On  other  occasions,  when  dissecting  small 
marine  animals  beneath  the  microscope,  I  have  seen  particles  of  pulpy  mat- 
ter, eome  of  large  size,  as  soon  as  they  were  disengaged,  commence  revolv- 
ing. I  have  imagined,  I  know  not  with  how  much  truth,  that  this  grannlo- 
pulpy  matter  was  in  process  of  being  converted  into  ova.  Certainly  in  thJe 
Koophyte  such  appeared  to  be  the  case. 
*  Kerr  s  Collection  of  Voyages,  vol.  viii.  p.  119. 


1833.]  EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE   INDIANS.  101 

the  night  here  ;  and  it  was  impossible  to  conceive  any  thing 
more  wild  and  savage  than  the  scene  of  their  bivouac.  Some 
drank  till  they  were  intoxicated  ;  others  swallowed  the  steaming 
blood  of  the  cattle  slaughtered  for  their  suppers,  and  then,  being 
sick  from  drunkenness,  they  cast  it  up  again,  and  were  besmeared 
with  filth  and  gore. 

Nam  simul  expletus  dapibus,  vinoque  sepultus 
Cervicem  inflexam  posuit,  jacuitque  per  antrum 
Immensus,  saniem  eructans,  ac  frusta  cruenta 
Per  SOIUQUIU  commixta  mero. 

In  the  morning  they  started  for  the  scene  of  the  murder,  with 
orders  to  follow  the  "  rastro,"  or  track,  even  if  it  led  them  to 
Chile.  We  subsequently  heard  that  the  wild  Indians  had  escaped 
into  the  great  Pampas,  and  from  some  cause  the  track  had  been 
missed.  One  glance  at  the  rastro  tells  these  people  a  whole 
history.  Supposing  they  examine  the  track  of  a  thousand  horses, 
they  will  soon  guess  the  number  of  mounted  ones  by  seeing  how 
many  have  cantered ;  by  the  depth  of  the  other  impressions, 
whether  any  horses  were  loaded  with  cargoes  ;  by  the  irregularity 
of  the  footsteps,  how  far  tired  ;  by  the  manner  in  which  the  food 
has  been  cooked,  whether  the  pursued  travelled  in  haste  ;  by  the 
general  appearance,  how  long  it  has  been  since  they  passed. 
They  consider  a  rastro  of  ten  days  or  a  fortnight,  quite  recent 
enough  to  be  hunted  out.  We  also  heard  that  Miranda  struck 
from  the  west  end  of  the  Sierra  Ventana,  in  a  direct  line  to  the 
island  of  Cholechel,  situated  seventy  leagues  up  the  Rio  Negro. 
This  is  a  distance  of  between  two  and  three  hundred  miles, 
through  a  country  completely  unknown.  What  other  troops  in 
the  world  are  so  independent  ?  With  the  sun  for  their  guide, 
mares'  flesh  for  food,  their  saddle-cloths  for  beds,— as  long  as 
there  is  a  little  water,  these  men  would  penetrate  to  the  end  of 
the  world. 

A  few  days  afterwards  I  saw  another  troop  of  these  banditti- 
like  soldiers  start  on  an  expedition  against  a  tribe  of  Indians  at 
the  small  Salinas,  who  had  been  betrayed  by  a  prisoner  cacique. 
The  Spaniard  who  brought  the  orders  for  this  expedition  was  a 
very  intelligent  man.  He  gave  me  an  account  of  the  last  engage- 
ment at  which  he  was  present.  Some  Indians,  who  had  been 
taken  prisoners,  gave  information  of  a  tribe  living  north  of  the 


102  "    BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  T. 

Colorado.  Two  hundred  soldiers  were  sent ;  and  they  first  dis- 
covered the  Jndians  by  a  cloud  of  dust  from  their  horses'  feet, 
as  they  chanced  to  be  travelling1.  The  country  was  mountainous 
and  wild,  and  it  must  have  been  far  in  the  interior,  for  the 
Cordillera  were  in  sight.  The  Indians,  men,  women,  and  children, 
were  about  one  hundred  and  ten  in  number,  and  they  were  nearly 
all  taken  or  killed,  for  the  soldiers  sabre  every  man.  The  Indians 
are  now  so  terrified  that  they  offer  no  resistance  in  a  body,  but 
each  flies,  neglecting-  even  his  wife  and  children  ;  but  when  over- 
taken, like  wild  animals,  they  fight  against  any  number  to  the 
last  moment.  One  dying  Indian  seized  with  his  teeth  the  thumb 
of  his  adversary,  and  allowed  his  own  eye  to  be  forced  out  sooner 
than  relinquish  his  hold.  Another,  who  was  wounded,  feigned 
death,  keeping  a  knife  ready  to  strike  one  more  fatal  blow.  My 
informer  said,  when  he  was  pursuing  an  Indian,  the  man  cried 
out  for  mercy,  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  covertly  loosing  the 
bolas  from  his  waist,  meaning  to  whirl  it  round  his  head  and  so 
strike  his  pursuer.  "  I  however  struck  him  with  my  sabre  to 
the  ground,  and  then  got  off  my  horse,  and  cut  his  throat  with 
my  knife."  This  is  a  dark  picture ;  but  how  much  more  shock- 
ing is  the  unquestionable  fact,  that  all  the  women  who  appear 
above  twenty  years  old  are  massacred  in  cold  blood  !  When  I 
exclaimed  that  this  appeared  rather  inhuman,  he  answered, 
"  Why,  what  can  be  done  ?  they  breed  so  !" 

Every  one  here  is  fully  convinced  that  this  is  the  most  just 
war,  because  it  is  against  barbarians.  Who  would  believe  in 
this  age  that  such  atrocities  could  be  committed  in  a  Christian 
civilized  country  ?  The  children  of  the  Indians  are  saved,  to  be 
sold  or  given  away  as  servants,  or  rather  slaves  for  as  long  a  time 
as  the  owners  can  make  them  believe  themselves  slaves ;  but  I 
believe  in  their  treatment  there  is  little  to  complain  of. 

In  the  battle  four  men  ran  away  togther.  They  were  pursued, 
one  was  killed,  and  the  other  three  were  taken  alive.  They 
turned  out  to  be  messengers  or  ambassadors  from  a  large  body  oi 
Indians,  united  in  the  common  cause  of  defence,  near  the  Cor- 
dillera. The  tribe  to  which  they  had  been  sent  was  on  the  point 
of  holding  a  grand  council ;  the  feast  of  mare's  flesh  was  ready, 
and  the  dance  prepared :  in  the  morning  the  ambassadors  were 
to  have  returned  to  the  Cordillera.  They  were  remarkably  fine 


1833.]  CAPTIVE   INDIANS.  103 

men,  very  fair,  above  six  feet  high?  and  all  under  thirty  years  oi 
age.  The  three  survivors  of  course  possessed  very  valuable 
information  ;  and  to  extort  this  they  were  placed  in  a  line.  The 
two  first  being  questioned,  answered,  "  No  se  "  (I  do  not  know), 
and  were  one  after  the  other  shot.  The  third  also  said  "  No  se  ;" 
adding,  "  Fire,  I  am  a  man,  and  can  die !"  Not  one  syllable 
would  they  breathe  to  injure  the  united  cause  of  their  country ! 
The  conduct  of  the  above-mentioned  cacique  was  very  different : 
he  saved  his  life  by  betraying  the  intended  plan  of  warfare,  and 
the  point  of  union  in  the  Andes.  It  was  believed  that  there 
were  already  six  or  seven  hundred  Indians  together,  and  that  in 
summer  their  numbers  would  be  doubled.  Ambassadors  were  to 
have  been  sent  to  the  Indians  at  the  small  Salinas,  near  Bahia 
Blanca,  whom  I  have  mentioned  that  this  same  cacique  had 
betrayed.  The  communication,  therefore,  between  the  Indians, 
extends  from  the  Cordillera  to  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic. 

General  Rosas's  plan  is  to  kill  all  stragglers,  and  having 
driven  the  remainder  to  a  common  point,  to  attack  them  in  a 
body,  in  the  summer,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Chilenos.  This 
operation  is  to  be  repeated  for  three  successive  years.  I  imagine 
the  summer  is  chosen  as  the  time  for  the  main  attack,  because 
the  plains  are  then  without  water,  and  the  Indians  can  only 
travel  in  particular  directions.  The  escape  of  the  Indians  to  the 
south  of  the  Rio  Negro,  where  in  such  a  vast  unknown  country 
they  would  be  safe,  is  prevented  by  a  treaty  with  the  Tehuelches 
to  this  effect ; — that  Rosas  pays  them  so  much  to  slaughter  every 
Indian  who  passes  to  the  south  of  the  river,  but  if  they  fail  in  so 
doing,  they  themselves  are  to  be  exterminated.  The  war  is 
waged  chiefly  against  the  Indians  near  the  Cordillera ;  for  many 
of  the  tribes  on  this  eastern  side  are  fighting  with  Rosas.  The 
general,  however,  like  Lord  Chesterfield,  thinking  that  his  friends 
may  in  a  future  day  become  his  enemies,  always  places  them  in 
the  front  ranks,  so  that  their  numbers  may  be  thinned.  Since 
leaving  South  America  we  have  heard  that  this  war  of  exter- 
mination completely  failed. 

Among  the  captive  girls  taken  in  the  same  engagement,  there 

were  two  very  pretty  Spanish  ones,  who  had  been  carried  away 

by  the  Indians  when  young,  and   could  now  only  speak   the 

Indian  tongue.     From  their  account  they  must  have  come  from 

8 


104  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

Salta,  a  distance  in  a  straight  line  of  nearly  one  thousand  miles. 
This  gives  one  a  grand  idea  of  the  immense  territory  over  which 
the  Indians  roam :  yet,  great  as  it  is,  I  think  there  will  not,  in 
another  half-century,  be  a  wild  Indian  northward  of  the  Rio 
Negro.  The  warfare  is  too  bloody  to  last ;  the  Christians  killing 
every  Indian,  and  the  Indians  doing  the  same  by  the  Christians. 
It  is  melancholy  to  trace  how  the  Indians  have  given  way  before 
the  Spanish  invaders.  Schirdel*  says  that  in  1535,  when  Buenos 
Ayres  was  founded,  there  were  villages  containing  two  and  three 
thousand  inhabitants.  Even  in  Falconer's  time  (1750)  the 
Indians  made  inroads  as  far  as  Luxan,  Areco,  and  Arrecife,  but 
now  they  are  driven  beyond  the  Salado.  Not  only  have  whole 
tribes  been  exterminated,  but  the  remaining  Indians  have 
become  more  barbarous :  instead  of  living  in  large  villages,  and 
being  employed  in  the  arts  of  fishing,  as  well  as  of  the  chace, 
they  now  wander  about  the  open  plains,  without  home  or  fixed 
occupation. 

I  heard  also  some  account  of  an  engagement  which  took  place, 
a  few  weeks  previously  to  the  one  mentioned,  at  Cholechel. 
This  is  a  very  important  station  on  account  of  being  a  pass  for 
horses;  and  it  was,  in  consequence,  for  some  time  the  head- 
quarters of  a  division  of  the  army.  When  the  troops  first  arrived 
there  they  found  a  tribe  of  Indians,  of  whom  they  killed  twenty 
or  thirty.  The  cacique  escaped  in  a  manner  which  astonished 
every  one.  The  chief  Indians  always  have  one  or  two  picked 
horses,  which  they  keep  ready  for  any  urgent  occasion.  On  one 
of  these,  an  old  white  horse,  the  cacique  sprung,  taking  with 
him  his  little  son.  The  horse  had  neither  saddle  nor  bridle. 
To  avoid  the  shots,  the  Indian  rode  in  the  peculiar  method  of 
his  nation ;  namely,  with  an  arm  round  the  horse's  neck,  and 
one  leg  only  on  its  back.  Thus  hanging  on  one  side,  he  was 
seen  patting  the  horse's  head,  and  talking  to  him.  The  pur- 
suers urged  every  effort  in  the  chace ;  the  Commandant  three 
times  changed  his  horse,  but  all  in  vain.  The  old  Indian  father 
and  his  son  escaped,  and  were  free.  What  a  fire  picture  one 
can  form  in  one's  mind,— the  naked,  bronze-like  figure  of  the 


*  Pumhas's    Collection  of   Voyages.      I  believe  the  date   was  really 


1833.]  ANTIQUARIAN  RELIC.  105 

old  man  with  his  little  boy,  riding  like  a  Mazeppa  on  the  white 
horse,  thus  leaving  far  behind  him  the  host  of  his  pursuers ! 

I  saw  one  day  a  soldier  striking  fire  with  a  piece  of  flint, 
which  I  immediately  recognised  as  having  been  a  part  of  the 
head  of  an  arrow.  He  told  me  it  was  found  near  the  island  of 
Cholechel,  and  that  they  are  frequently  picked  up  there.  It 
was  between  two  and  three  inches  long,  and  therefore  twice  as 
large  as  those  now  used  in  Tierra  del  Fuego :  it  was  made  of 
opake  cream-coloured  flint,  but  the  point  and  barbs  had  been 
intentionally  broken  off.  It  is  well  known  that  no  Pampas 
Indians  now  use  bows  and  arrows.  I  believe  a  small  tribe  in 
Banda  Oriental  must  be  excepted ;  but  they  are  widely  separated 
from  the  Pampas  Indians,  and  border  uiose  on  those  tribes  that 
inhabit  the  forest,  and  live  on  foot.  It  appears,  therefore,  that 
these  arrow-heads  are  antiquarian*  relics  of  the  Indians,  before 
the  great  change  in  habits  consequent  on  the  introduction  of  the 
horse  into  South  America. 

*  Azara  haa  even  doubted  whether  the  Pampas  Iiidians  ever  used  bows. 


106  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  vi. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Set  out  for  Buenos  Ayres—  Rio  Sauce — Sierra  Ventana — Third  Posta— 
Driving  Horses — Bolas — Partridges  and  Foxes — Features  of  the  Country — 
Long-legged  Plover — Teru-tero — Hail-storm — Natural  Enclosures  in  the 
Sierra  Tapalguen— Flesh  of  Puma — Meat  Diet — Guardia  del  Monte- 
Effects  of  Cattle  on  the  Vegetation— Cardoon — Buenos  Ayres — Corral 
where  Cattle  are  slaughtered- 

BAHIA  BLANCA  TO  BUENOS  AYRES 

SEPTEMBER  8th. — I  hired  a  Gaucho  to  accompany  me  on  my 
ride  to  Buenos  Ayres,  though  with  some  difficulty,  as  the  father 
of  one  man  was  afraid  to  let  him  go,  and  another,  who  seemed 
willing,  was  described  to  me  as  so  fearful,  that  I  was  afraid  to 
take  him,  for  I  was  told  that  even  if  he  saw  an  ostrich  at  a  dis- 
tance, he  would  mistake  it  for  an  Indian,  and  would  fly  like  the 
wind  away.  The  distance  to  Buenos  Ayres  is  about  four  hun- 
dred miles,  and  nearly  the  whole  way  through  an  uninhabited 
country.  We  started  early  in  the  morning ;  ascending  a  few 
hundred  feet  from  the  basin  of  green  turf  on  which  Bahia  Blanca 
stands,  we  entered  on  a  wide  desolate  plain.  It  consists  of  a 
crumbling  argillaceo-calcareous  rock,  which,  from  the  dry  nature 
of  the  climate,  supports  only  scattered  tufts  of  withered  grass. 
without  a  single  bush  or  tree  to  break  the  monotonous  uniformity. 
The  weather  was  fine,  but  the  atmosphere  remarkably  hazy  ;  I 
thought  the  appearance  foreboded  a  gale,  but  the  Gauchos  said 
it  was  owing  to  the  plain,  at  some  great  distance  in  the  interior, 
being  on  fire.  After  a  long  gallop,  having  changed  horses  twice, 
we  reached  the  Rio  Sauce  :  it  is  a  deep,  rapid,  little  stream, 
not  above  twenty-five  feet  wide.  The  second  posta  on  the 
road  to  Buenos  Ayres  stands  on  its  banks ;  a  little  above  there  is 
a  ford  for  horses,  where  the  water  does  not  reach  to  the  horses' 
belly ;  but  from  that  point,  in  its  course  to  the  sea,  it  is  quite 
impassable,  and  hence  makes  a  most  useful  barrier  against  the 
Indians. 


1833.]  SIERRA   VENT  AN  A.  IOY 

Insignificant  as  this  stream  is,  the  Jesuit  Falconer,  whose 
information  is  generally  so  very  correct,  figures  it  as  a  consider- 
able river,  rising  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera.  With  respect 
to  its  source,  I  do  not  doubt  that  this  is  the  case ;  for  the  Gau- 
chos  assured  me,  that  in  the  middle  of  the  dry  summer,  this 
stream,  at  the  same  time  with  the  Colorado,  has  periodical  floods  ; 
which  can  only  originate  in  the  snow  melting  on  the  Andes.  It 
is  extremely  improbable  that  a  stream  so  small  as  the  Sauce 
then  was,  should  traverse  the  entire  width  of  the  continent ;  and 
indeed,  if  it  were  the  residue  of  ja.  large  river,  its  waters,  as  in 
other  ascertained  cases,  would  be  saline.  During  the  winter 
we  must  look  to  the  springs  round  the  Sierra  Ventana  as  the 
source  of  its  pure  and  limpid  stream.  I  suspect  the  plains  of 
Patagonia,  like  those  of  Australia,  are  traversed  by  many  water- 
courses, which  only  perform  their  proper  parts  at  certain  periods. 
Probably  this  is  the  case  with  the  water  which  flows  into  the 
head  of  Port  Desire,  and  likewise  with  the  Rio  Chupat,  on  the 
banks  of  which  masses  of  highly  cellular  scoriae  were  found  by 
the  officers  employed  in  the  survey. 

As  it  was  early  in  the  afternoon  when  we  arrived,  we  took 
fresh  horses,  and  a  soldier  for  a  guide,  and  started  for  the  Sierra 
de  la  Ventana.  This  mountain  is  visible  from  the  anchorage 
at  Bahia  Blanca ;  and  Capt.  Fitz  Roy  calculates  its  height  to  be 
3340  feet — an  altitude  very  remarkable  on  this  eastern  side  of 
the  continent.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  foreigner,  previous  to 
my  visit,  had  ascended  this  mountain ;  and  indeed  very  few  of 
the  soldiers  at  Bahia  Blanca  knew  anything  about  it.  Hence 
we  heard  of  beds  of  coal,  of  gold  and  silver,  of  caves,  and  of 
forests,  all  of  which  inflamed  my  curiosity,  only  to  disappoint  it. 
The  distance  from  the  posta  was  about  six  leagues,  over  a  level 
plain  of  the  same  character  as  before.  The  ride  was,  however, 
interesting,  as  the  mountain  began  to  show  its  true  form.  "When 
we  reached  the  foot  of  the  main  ridge,  we  had  much  difficulty  in 
finding  any  water,  and  we  thought  we  should  have  been  obliged 
to  have  passed  the  night  without  any.  At  last  we  discovered 
some  by  looking  close  to  the  mountain,  for  at  the  distance  even 
of  a  few  hundred  yards,  the  streamlets  were  buried  and  entirely 
lost  in.  die  friable  calcareous  stone  and  loose  detritus.  I  do  not 
think  Nature  ever  made  a  more  solitary,  desolate  pile  of  rock ; 


108  BAHIA   BLANCA  TO   BUENOS   AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

— it  well  deserves  its  name  of  Hurtado,  or  separated.  The 
mountain  is  steep,  extremely  rugged,  and  broken,  and  so  entirely 
destitute  of  trees,  and  even  bushes,  that  we  actually  could  not 
make  a  skewer  to  stretch  out  our  meat  over  the  fire  of  thistle- 
stalks.*  The  strange  aspect  of  this  mountain  is  contrasted  by 
the  sea-like  plain,  which  not  only  abuts  against  its  steep  sides, 
but  likewise  separates  the  parallel  ranges.  The  uniformity  of 
the  colouring  gives  an  extreme  quietness  to  the  view  ; — the  whit- 
ish grey  of  the  quartz  rock,  and  the  light  brown  of  the  withered 
grass  of  the  plain,  being  unrelieved  by  any  brighter  tint.  From 
custom,  one  expects  to  see  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  lofty  and 
bold  mountain,  a  broken  country  strewed  over  with  huge  frag- 
ments. Here  nature  shows  that  the  last  movement  before  the 
bed  of  the  sea  is  changed  into  dry  land  may  sometimes  be  one 
of  tranquillity.  Under  these  circumstances  I  was  curious  to 
observe  how  far  from  the  parent  rock  any  pebbles  could  be  found. 
On  the  shores  of  Bahia  Blanca,  and  near  the  settlement,  there 
were  some  of  quartz,  which  certainly  must  have  come  from  thi? 
source :  the  distance  is  forty-five  miles. 

The  dew,  which  in  the  early  part  of  the  night  wetted  the 
saddle-cloths  under  which  we  slept,  was  in  the  morning  frozen. 
The  plain,  though  appearing  horizontal,  had  insensibly  sloped 
up  to  a  height  of  between  800  and  900  feet  above  the  sea.  In 
the  morning  (9th  of  September)  the  guide  told  me  to  ascend  the 
nearest  ridge,  which  he  thought  would  lead  me  to  the  four  peaks 
that  crown  the  summit.  The  climbing  up  such  rough  rocks  was 
very  fatiguing  ;  the  sides  were  so  indented,  that  what  was  gained 
in  one  five  minutes  was  often  lost  in  the  next.  At  last,  when  I 
reached  the  ridge,  my  disappointment  was  extreme  in  finding  a 
precipitous  valley  as  deep  as  the  plain,  which  cut  the  chain  trans- 
versely in  two,  and  separated  me  from  the  four  points.  This 
valley  is  very  narrow,  but  flat-bottomed,  and  it  forms  a  fine 
horse-pass  for  the  Indians,  as  it  connects  the  plains  on  the 
northern  and  southern  sides  of  the  range.  Having  descended, 
and  while  crossing  it,  I  saw  two  horses  grazing :  I  immediately 
hid  myself  in  the  long  grass,  and  began  to  reconnoitre ;  but  as  I 
could  see  no  signs  of  Indians  I  proceeded  cautiously  on  my 

*  I  call  these  thistle-stalks  for  the  want  of  a  more  correct  name.  I  bo 
uevo  it  la  a  species  of  Eryngiuin. 


1833.]  SIERRA.  VENTANA.  109 

second  ascent.  It  was  late  in  the  day,  and  this  part  of  the  moun 
tain,  like  the  other,  was  steep  and  rugged.  I  was  on  the  top  oi 
the  second  peak  by  two  o'clock,  but  got  there  with  extreme  dif- 
ficulty ;  every  twenty  yards  I  had  the  cramp  in  the  upper  part 
of  both  thighs,  so  that  I  was  afraid  I  should  not  have  been  able 
to  have  got  down  again.  It  was  also  necessary  to  return  by 
another  road,  as  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  pass  over  the 
saddle-back.  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  give  up  the  two  highei 
peaks.  Their  altitude  was  but  little  greater,  and  every  purpose 
of  geology  had  been  answered ;  so  that  the  attempt  was  not 
worth  the  hazard  of  any  further  exertion.  I  presume  the  cause 
of  the  cramp  was  the  great  change  in  the  kind  of  muscular  action, 
from  that  of  hard  riding  to  that  of  still  harder  climbing.  It  is 
a  lesson  worth  remembering,  as  in  some  cases  it  might  cause 
much  difficulty. 

I  have  already  said  the  mountain  is  composed  of  white  quartz 
rock,  and  with  it  a  little  glossy  clay-slate  is  associated.  At  the 
height  of  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  patches  of  conglo- 
merate adhered  in  several  places  to  the  solid  rock.  They  re- 
sembled in  hardness,  and  in  the  nature  of  the  cement,  the  masses 
which  may  be  seen  daily  forming  on  some  coasts.  I  do  not 
doubt  these  pebbles  were  in  a  similar  manner  aggregated,  at  a 
period  when  the  great  calcareous  formation  was  depositing  be- 
neath the  surrounding  sea.  We  may  believe  that  the  jagged 
and  battered  forms  of  the  hard  quartz  yet  show  the  effects  of  the 
waves  of  an  open  ocean. 

I  was,  on  the  whole,  disappointed  with  this  ascent.  Even  the 
view  was  insignificant ; — a  plain  like  the  sea,  but  without  its 
beautiful  colour  and  defined  outline.  The  scene,  however,  was 
novel,  and  a  little  danger,  like  salt  to  meat,  gave  it  a  relish. 
That  the  danger  was  very  little  was  certain,  for  my  two  com- 
panions made  a  good  fire — a  thing  which  is  never  done  when  il 
is  suspected  that  Indians  are  near.  I  reached  the  place  of  our 
bivouac  by  sunset,  and  drinking  much  mate,  and  smoking  several 
cigaritos,  soon  made  up  my  bed  for  the  night.  The  wind  was 
very  strong  and  cold,  but  I  never  slept  more  comfortably. 

September  10th.  —  In  the  morning,  having  fairly  scudded 
before  the  gale,  we  arrived  by  the  middle  of  the  day  at  the  Sauce 
posta.  On  the  road  we  saw  great  numbers  of  deer,  and  near  the 


110  BAHIA  BLANCA   TO   BUENOS  AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

mountain  aguanaco.  The  plain,  which  abuU  against  the  Sierra, 
is  traversed  by  some  curious  gulleys,  of  which  one  was  about 
twenty  feet  wide,  and  at  .least  thirty  deep  ;  we  were  obliged  in 
consequence  to  make  a  considerable  circuit  before  we  could  find 
a  pass.  We  stayed  the  night  at  the  posta,  the  conversation,  as  was 
generally  the  case,  being  about  the  Indians.  The  Sierra  Ven- 
tana  was  formerly  a  great  place  of  resort ;  and  three  or  four 
years  ago  there  was  much  righting  there.  My  guide  had  been 
present  when  many  Indians  were  killed  :  the  women  escaped  to 
the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  fought  most  desperately  with  great 
stones  ;  many  thus  saving  themselves. 

September  \\th. — Proceeded  to  the  third  posta  in  company 
with  the  lieutenant  who  commanded  it.  The  distance  is  called 
fifteen  leagues ;  but  it  is  only  guess-work,  and  is  generally  over- 
stated. The  road  was  uninteresting,  over  a  dry  grassy  plain  ; 
and  on  our  left  hand  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  there  were  some 
low  hills ;  a  continuation  of  which  we  crossed  close  to  the  posta. 
Before  our  arrival  we  met  a  large  herd  of  cattle  and  horses, 
guarded  by  fifteen  soldiers ;  but  we  were  told  many  had  been 
lost.  It  is  very  difficult  to  drive  animals  across  the  plains  ;  for 
if  in  the  night  a  puma,  or  even  a  fox,  approaches,  nothing  can 
prevent  the  horses  dispersing  in  every  direction ;  and  a  storm 
will  have  the  same  effect.  A  short  time  since,  an  officer  left 
Buenos  Ayres  with  five  hundred  horses,  and  when  he  arrived  at 
the  army  he  had  under  twenty. 

Soon  afterwards  we  perceived  by  the  cloud  of  dust,  that  a 
party  of  horsemen  were  coming  towards  us ;  when  far  distant 
my  companions  knew  them  to  be  Indians,  by  their  long  hair 
streaming  behind  their  backs.  The  Indians  generally  have  a 
fillet  round  their  heads,  but  never  any  covering ;  and  their  black 
hair  blowing  across  their  swarthy  faces,  heightens  to  an  uncom- 
mon degree  the  wildness  of  their  appearance.  They  turned  oul 
to  be  a  party  of  Bernantio's  friendly  tribe,  'going  to  a  salina  for 
salt.  The  Indians  eat  much  salt,  their  children  sucking  it  like 
sugar.  This  habit  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  Spanish 
Gauchos,  who,  leading  the  same  kind  of  life,  eat  scarcely  any  : 
according  to  Mungo  Park,*  it  is  people  who  live  on  vegetable 

•  Travels  in  Africa,  p.  233. 


1833.]  THROWING   THE   BOLAS.  Ill 

food  who  have  an  unconquerable  desire  for  salt.  The  Indians 
gave  us  good-humoured  nods  as  they  passed  at  full  gallop,  driv- 
ing before  them  a  troop  of  horses,  and  followed  by  a  train  of 
lanky  dogs. 

September  12/7*  and  13th. — I  staid  at  this  posta  two  days, 
waiting  for  a  troop  of  soldiers,  which  General  Kosas  had  the 
kindness  to  send  to  inform  me,  would  shortly  travel  to  Buenos 
Ayres  ;  and  he  advised  me  to  take  the  opportunity  of  the  escort. 
In  the  morning  we  rode  to  some  neighbouring  hills  to  view  the 
country,  and  to  examine  the  geology.  After  dinner  the  soldiers 
divided  themselves  into  two  parties  for  a  trial  of  skill  with  ths 
bolas.  Two  spears  were  stuck  in  the  ground  thirty-five  yards 
apart,  but  they  were  struck  and  entangled  only  once  in  four  or 
five  times.  The  balls  can  be  thrown  fifty  or  sixty  yards,  but 
with  little  certainty.  This,  however,  does  not  apply  to  a  man 
on  horseback ;  for  when  the  speed  of  the  horse  is  added  to  the 
force  of  the  arm,  it  is  said,  that  they  can  be  whirled  with  effect 
to  the  distance  of  eighty  yards.  As  a  proof  of  their  force,  1 
may  mention,  that  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  when  the  Spaniards 
murdered  some  of  their  own  countrymen  and  all  the  Englishmen, 
a  young  friendly  Spaniard  was  running  away,  when  a  great  tall 
man,  by  name  Luciano,  came  at  full  gallop  after  him,  shouting 
to  him  to  stop,  and  saying  that  he  only  wanted  to  speak  to  him. 
Just  as  the  Spaniard  was  on  the  point  of  reaching  the  boat,  Lu- 
ciano threw  the  balls :  they  struck  him  on  the  legs  with  such  a 
jerk,  as  to  throw  him  down  and  to  render  him  for  some  time 
insensible.  The  man,  after  Luciano  had  had  his  talk,  was 
allowed  to  escape.  He  told  us  that  his  legs  were  marked  by 
great  weals,  where  the  thong  had  wound  round,  as  if  he  had  been 
flogged  with  a  whip.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  two  men  arrived, 
who  brought  a  parcel  from  the  next  posta  to  be  forvfarded  to 
the  general :  so  that  besides  these  two,  our  party  consisted  this 
evening  of  my  guide  and  self,  the  lieutenant,  and  his  four  soldiers. 
The  latter  were  strange  beings  ;  the  first  a  fine  young  negro  ;  the 
second  half  Indian  and  negro ;  and  the  two  others  nondescripts ; 
namely,  an  old  Chilian  miner,  the  colour  of  mahogany,  and  an- 
other partly  a  mulatto  ;  but  two  such  mongrels,  with  such  de- 
testable expressions,  I  never  saw  before.  At  night,  when  they 
were  sitting  round  the  fire,  and  playing  at  cards,  I  retired  to 


112  BAIIIA  BLANCA  TO   BUENOS  AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

view  such  a  Salvator  Rosa  scene.  They  were  seated  under  a 
low  cliff,  so  that  I  could  look  down  upon  them ;  around  the 
party  were  lying  dogs,  arms,  remnants  of  deer  and  ostriches ; 
and  their  long  spears  were  stuck  .in  the  turf.  Further  in  the 
dark  background,  their  horses  were  tied  up,  ready  for  any  sudden 
danger.  If  the  stillness  of  the  desolate  plain  was  broken  by  one 
of  the  dogs  barking,  a  soldier,  leaving  the  fire,  would  place  his 
head  close  to  the  ground,  and  thus  slowly  scan  the  horizon. 
Even  if  the  noisy  teru-tero  uttered  its  scream,  there  would  be  a 
pause  in  tne  conversation,  and  every  head,  for  a  moment,  a  little 
inclined. 

What  a  life  of  misery  these  men  appear  to  us  to  lead  !  They 
were  at  least  ten  leagues  from  the  Sauce  posta,  and  since  the 
murder  committed  by  the  Indians,  twenty  from  another.  The 
Indians  are  supposed  to  have  made  their  attack  in  the  middle  of 
the  night ;  for  very  early  in  the  morning  after  the  murder,  they 
were  luckily  seen  approaching  this  posta.  The  whole  party 
here,  however,  escaped,  together  with  the  troop  of  horses ;  each 
one  taking  a  line  for  himself,  and  driving  with  him  as  many 
animals  as  he  was  able  to  manage. 

The  little  hovel,  built  of  thistle-stalks,  in  which  they  slept, 
neither  kept  out  the  wind  or  rain  ;  indeed  in  the  latter  case  the 
only  effect  the  roof  had,  was  to  condense  it  into  larger  drops. 
They  had  nothing  to  eat  excepting  what  they  could  catch,  such 
as  ostriches,  deer,  armadilloes,  &c.,  and  their  only  fuel  was  the 
dry  stalks  of  a  small  plant,  somewhat  resembling  an  aloe.  The 
sole  luxury  which  these  men  enjoyed  was  smoking  the  little 
paper  cigars,  and  sucking  mate.  I  used  to  think  that  the  carrion 
vultures,  man's  constant  attendants  on  these  dreary  plains,  while 
seated  on  the  little  neighbouring  cliffs,  seemed  by  their  very 
patience  *to  say,  "  Ah  !  when  the  Indians  come  we  shall  have  a 
feast." 

In  the  morning  we  al  sallied  forth  to  hunt,  and  although  we 
had  not  much  success,  there  were  some  animated  chaces.  Sooii 
after  starting  the  party  separated,  and  so  arranged  their  plans, 
that  at  a  certain  time  of  the  day  (in  guessing  which  they  show 
much  skill)  they  should  all  meet  from  different  points  of  the 
compass  on  a  plain  piece  of  ground,  and  thus  drive  together  the 
wild  animals.  One  day  I  went  out  hunting  at  Bahia  Blanca, 


1833.]  HOSPITALITY.  113 

but  the  men  there  merely  rode  in  a  crescent,  each  being  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  apart  from  the  other.  A  fine  male  ostrich 
being  turned  by  the  headmost  riders,  tried  to  escape  on  one  side. 
The  Gauchos  pursued  at  a  reckless  pace,  twisting  their  horses 
about  with  the  most  admirable  command,  and  each  man  whirling 
the  balls  round  his  head.  At  length  the  foremost  threw  them, 
revolving  through  the  air :  in  an  instant  the  ostrich  rolled  over 
and  over,  its  legs  fairly  lashed  together  by  the  thong. 

The  plains  abound  with  three  kinds  of  partridge,*  two  of 
which  are  as  large  as  hen  pheasants.  Their  destroyer,  a  small 
and  pretty  fox,  was  also  singularly  numerous ;  in  the  course  oi 
the  day  we  could  not  have  seen  less  than  forty  or  fifty.  They 
were  generally  near  their  earths,  but  the  dogs  killed  one.  When 
we  returned  to  the  posta,  we  found  two  of  the  party  returned 
who  had  been  hunting  by  themselves.  They  had  killed  a  puma, 
and  had  found  an  ostrich's  nest  with  twenty-seven  eggs  in  it. 
Each  of  these  is  said  to  equal  in  weight  eleven  hens'  eggs  ;  so 
that  we  obtained  from  this  one  nest  as  much  food  as  297  hens 
eggs  would  have  given. 

September  14th. — As  the  soldiers  belonging  to  the  next  posta 
meant  to  return,  and  we  should  together  make  a  party  of  five, 
and  all  armed,  I  determined  not  to  wait  for  the  expected  troops. 
My  host,  the  lieutenant,  pressed  me  much  to  stop.  As  he  had 
been  very  obliging — not  only  providing  me  with  food,  but  lend- 
ing me  his  private  horses — I  wanted  to  make  him  some  remu- 
neration. I  asked  my  guide  whether  I  might  do  so,  but  he  told 
me  certainly  not ;  that  the  only  answer  I  should  receive,  pro 
bably  would  be,  "  We  have  meat  for  the  dogs  in  our  country, 
and  therefore  do  not  grudge  it  to  a  Christian."  It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  such  an  army  would  at 
all  prevent  the  acceptance  of  payment :  it  was  only  the  high 
sense  of  hospitality,  which  every  traveller  is  bound  to  acknow- 
ledge as  nearly  universal  throughout  these  provinces.  After 
galloping  some  leagues,  we  came  to  a  low  swampy  country,  which 
extends  for  nearly  eighty  miles  northward,  as  far  as  the  Sierra 
Tapalguen.  In  some  parts  there  were  fine  damp  plains,  covered 
with  grass,  while  others  had  a  soft,  black,  and  peaty  soil.  There 

*  Two  species  of  Tinamus,  and  Eudromia  elegans  of  A.  d'Orbigny,  which 
cam  only  be  called  a  partridge  with  regard  to  its  habits. 


114  BAHIA  BLAXCA   TO   BUEXOS  AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

were  also  many  extensive  but  shallow  lakes,  and  large  beds  of 
reeds.  The  country  on  the  whole  resembled  the  better  parts  of 
the  Cambridgeshire  fens.  At  night  we  had  some  difficulty  in 
finding,  amidst  the  swamps,  a  dry  place  for  our  bivouac. 

September  15th. — Rose  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  shortly 
after  passed  the  posta  where  the  Indians  had  murdered  the  five 
soldiers.  The  officer  had  eighteen  chuzo  wounds  in  his  body. 
By  the  middle  of  the  day,  after  a  hard  gallop,  we  reached  the 
fifth  posta:  on  account  of  some  difficulty  in  procuring  horses 
we  stayed  there  the  night.  As  this  point  was  the  most  exposed 
on  the  whole  line,  twenty-one  soldiers  were  stationed  here;  at 
sunset  they  returned  from  hunting,  bringing  with  them  seven 
deer,  three  ostriches,  and  many  armadilloes  and  partridges. 
When  riding  through  the  country,  it  is  a  common  practice  to 
set  fire  to  the  plain ;  and  hence  at  night,  as  on  this  occasion,  the 
horizon  was  illuminated  in  several  places  by  brilliant  conflagra- 
tions. This  is  done  partly  for  the  sake  of  puzzling  any  stray 
Indians,  but  chiefly  for  improving  the  pasture.  In  grassy  plains 
unoccupied  by  the  larger  ruminating  quadrupeds,  it  seems  neces- 
sary to  remove  the  superfluous  vegetation  by  fire,  so  as  to  render 
the  new  year's  growth  serviceable. 

The  rancho  at  this  place  did  not  boast  even  of  a  roof,  but 
merely  consisted  of  a  ring  of  thistle-stalks,  to  break  the  force  of 
(he  wind.  It  was  situated  on  the  borders  of  an  extensive  but 
shallow  lake,  swarming  with  wild  fowl,  among  which  the  black- 
necked  swan  was  conspicuous. 

The  kind  of  plover,  which  appears  as  if  mounted  on  stilts, 
(Himantopus  nigricollis)  is  here  common  in  flocks  of  consi- 
derable size.  It  has  been  wrongfully  accused  of  inelegance ; 
when  wading  about  in  shallow  water,  which  is  its  favourite 
resort,  its  gait  is  far  from  awkward.  These  birds  in  a  flock 
utter  a  noise,  that  singularly  resembles  the  cry  of  a  pack  of 
small  dogs  in  full  chace :  waking  in  the  night,  I  have  more  than 
once  been  for  a  moment  startled  at  the  distant  sound.  Tho 
teru-tero  (Vanellus  cayanus)  is  another  bird,  which  often  dis- 
turbs the  stillness  of  the  night.  In  appearance  and  habits  it 
resembles  in  many  respects  our  peewits ;  its  wings,  however,  arc 
armed  with  sharp  spurs,  like  those  on  the  legs  of  the  common 
cock.  As  our  peewit  takes  its  name  from  the  sound  of  its  voice, 


1833.]  A   VIOLENT   HAIL-STORM.  115 

BO  does  the  teru-tero.  While  riding  over  the  grassy  plains,  one 
is  constantly  pursued  by  these  birds,  which  appear  to  hate  man- 
kind, and  I  am  sure  deserve  to  be  hated  for  their  never-ceasing, 
unvaried,  harsh  screams.  To  the  sportsman  they  are  most  an- 
noying, by  telling  every  other  bird  and  animal  of  his  approach : 
to  the  traveller  in  the  country,  they  may  possibly,  as  Molina 
says,  do  good,  by  warning  him  of  the  ir  idnight  robber.  During 
the  breeding  season,  they  attempt,  like  cur  peewits,  by  feigning 
to  be  wounded,  to  draw  away  from  their  nests  dogs  and  other 
enemies.  The  eggs  of  this  bird  are  esteemed  a  great  delicacy. 

September  16th. — To  the  seventh  posta  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Tapalguen.  The  country  was  quite  level,  with  a  coarse  herbage 
and  a  soft  peaty  soil.  The  hovel  was  here  remarkably  neat,  the 
posts  and  rafters  being  made  of  about  a  dozen  dry  thistle- 
stalks  bound  together  with  thongs  of  hide ;  and  by  the  support 
of  these  Ionic-like  columns,  the  roof  and  sides  were  thatched 
with  reeds.  We  were  here  told  a  fact,  which  I  would  not  have 
credited,  if  I  had  not  had  partly  ocular  proof  of  it ;  namely, 
that,  during  the  previous  night,  hail  as  large  as  small  apples, 
and  extremely  hard,  had  fallen  with  such  violence,  as  to  kill 
the  greater  number  of  the  wild  animals.  One  of  the  men  had 
already  found  thirteen  deer  (Cervus  campestris)  lying  dead,  and 
I  saw  their  fresh  hides ;  another  of  the  party,  a  few  minutes 
after  my  arrival,  brought  in  seven  more.  Now  I  well  know, 
that  one  man  without  dogs  could  hardly  have  killed  seven  deer 
in  a  week.  The  men  believed  they  had  seen  about  fifteen  dead 
ostriches  (part  of  one  of  which  we  had  for  dinner)  ;  and  they 
said  that  several  were  running  about  evidently  blind  in  one  eye. 
Numbers  of  smaller  birds,  as  ducks,  hawks,  and  partridges,  were 
killed.  I  saw  one  of  the  latter  with  a  black  mark  on  its  back, 
as  if  it  had  been  struck  with  a  paving-stone.  A  fence  of  thistle- 
stalks  round  the  hovel  was  nearly  broken  down,  and  my  in- 
former, putting  his  head  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  received 
a  severe  cut,  and  now  wore  a  bandage.  The  storm  was  said  to 
have  been  of  limited  extent :  we  certainly  saw  from  our  last 
night's  bivouac  a  dense  cloud  and  lightning  in  this  direction.  It 
is  marvellous  how  such  strong  animals  as  deer  could  thus  have 
been  killed ;  but  I  have  no  doubt,  from  the  evidence  I  have 
given,  that  the  story  is  not  in  the  least  exaggerated.  I  am  glad, 


116  BAHIA   BLANCA   TO   BUENOS  AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

however,  to  have  its  credibility  supported  by  the  Jesuit  Drobriz- 
hoffer,*  who,  speaking  of  a  country  much  to  the  northward, 
Bays,  hail  fell  of  an  enormous  size  and  killed  vast  numbers  oi 
cattle:  the  Indians  hence  called  the  place  Lalegraicavalca, 
meaning  "  the  little  white  things."  Dr.  Malcolmson,  also,  in- 
forms me  that  he  witnessed  in  1831  in  India,  a  hail-storm,  which 
killed  numbers  of  large  birds  and  much  injured  the  cattle. 
These  hail-stones  were  flat,  and  one  was  ten  inches  in  circum- 
ference, and  another  weighed  two  ounces.  They  ploughed  up  a 
gravel-walk  like  musket-balls,  and  passed  through  glass-windows, 
making  round  holes,  but  not  cracking  them. 

Having  finished  our  dinner  of  hail-stricken  meat,  we  crossed 
the  Sierra  Tapalguen  ;  a  low  range  of  hills,  a  few  hundred  feet 
in  height,  which  commences  at  Cape  Corrientes.  The  rock  in 
this  part  is  pure  quartz ;  further  eastward  I  understand  it  is  gra- 
nitic. '  The  hills  are  of  a  remarkable  form  ;  they  consist  of  flat 
patches  of  table-land,  surrounded  by  low  perpendicular  cliffs, 
like  the  outliers  of  a  sedimentary  deposit.  The  hill  which  I 
ascended  was  very  small,  not  above  a  couple  of  hundred  yards 
in  diameter ;  but  I  saw  others  larger.  One  which  goes  by  the 
name  of  the  "  Corral,"  is  said  to  be  two  or  three  miles  in  dia- 
meter, and  encompassed  by  perpendicular  cliffs  between  thirty 
and  forty  feet  high,  excepting  at  one  spot,  where  the  entrance 
lies.  Falconerf  gives  a  curious  account  of  the  Indians  driving 
troops  of  wild  horses  into  it,  and  then  by  guarding  the  entrance, 
keeping  them  secure.  I  have  never  heard  of  any  other  instance 
of  table  land  in  a  formation  of  quartz,  and  which,  in  the  hill  I 
examined,  had  neither  cleavage  nor  stratification.  I  was  told 
that  the  rock  of  the  "  Corral"  was  white,  and  would  strike  fire. 

We  did  not  reach  the  posta  on  the  Rio  Tapalguen  till  after  it 
was  dark.  At  supper,  from  something  which  was  said,  I  was 
suddenly  struck  with  horror  at  thinking  that  I  was  eating  one  oi 
the  favourite  dishes  of  the  country,  namely,  a  half-formed  calf, 
long  before  its  proper  time  of  birth.  It  turr  ed  out  to  be  Puma ; 
the  meat  is  very  white,  and  remarkably  like  veal  in  taste.  Dr. 
Shaw  was  laughed  at  for  stating  that  "  the  flesh  of  the  lion  is 
in  great  esteem,  having  no  small  affinity  with  veal,  both  in 

*  History  of  the  Abipones,  vol.  ii.  p.  6. 
t  Falconer's  Patagonia,  p.  70. 


1833.]  MEAT   DIET.  117 

colour,  taste,  and  flavour."  Such  certainly  is  the  case  with  the 
Puma.  The  Gauchos  differ  in  their  opinion,  whether  the  Ja- 
guar is  good  eating,  but  are  unanimous  in  saying  that  cat  is  ex- 
cellent. 

September  \llh. — We  followed  the  course  of  the  Rio  Tapal- 
guen,  through  a  very  fertile  country,  to  the  ninth  posta.  Tapal- 
guen  itself,  or  the  town  of  Tapalguen,  if  it  may  be  so  called, 
consists  of  a  perfectly  level  plain,  studded  over,  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  with  the  toldos,  or  oven -shaped  huts  of  the  Indians. 
The  families  of  the  friendly  Indians,  who  were  fighting  on  the 
side  of  Rosas,  resided  here.  We  met  and  passed  many  young 
Indian  women,  riding  by  two  or  three  together  on  the  same 
horse :  they,  as  well  as  many  of  the  young  men,  were  strikingly 
handsome, — their  fine  ruddy  complexions  being  the  picture  of 
health.  Besides  the  toldos,  there  were  three  ranches ;  one  in- 
habited by  the  Commandant,  and  the  two  others  by  Spaniards 
with  small  shops. 

We  were  here  able  to  buy  some  biscuit.  I  had  now  been 
several  days  without  tasting  any  thing  besides  meat :  I  did  not 
at  all  dislike  this  new  regimen  ;  but  I  felt  as  if  it  would  only 
have  agreed  with  me  with  hard  exercise.  I  have  heard  that 
patients  in  England,  when  desired  to  confine  themselves  exclu 
sively  to  an  animal  diet,  even  with  the  hope  of  life  before  their 
eyes,  have  hardly  been  able  to  endure  it.  Yet  the  Gaucho  in 
the  Pampas,  for  months  together,  touches  nothing  but  beef. 
But  they  eat,  I  observe,  a  very  large  proportion  of  fat,  which  is 
of  a  less  animalized  nature  ;  and  they  particularly  dislike  dry 
meat,  such  as  that  of  the  Agouti.  Dr.  Richardson,*  also,  has 
remarked,  "  that  when  people  have  fed  for  a  long  time  solely 
upon  lean  animal  food,  the  desire  for  fat  becomes  so  insatiable, 
that  they  can  consume  a  large  quantity  of  unmixed  and  even  oily 
fat  without  nausea :"  this  appears  to  me  a  curious  physiological 
fact.  It  is,  perhaps,  from  their  meat  regimen  that  the  Gauchos, 
like  other  carnivorous  animals,  can  abstain  long  from  food.  I 
was  told  that  at  Tandeel,  some  troops  voluntarily  pursued  a  party 
of  Indians  for  three  days,  without  eating  or  drinking. 

We  saw  in  the  shops  many  articles,  such  as  horsecloths,  bolts. 

*  Fauna  Boreali- Americana,  vol.  i.  p.  85. 


118  BAHIA  BLANCA   TO   BUENOS  AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

and  garters,  woven  oy  the  Indian  women.  The  patterns  were 
very  pretty,  and  the  colours  brilliant ;  the  workmanship  of  the 
garters  was  so  good  that  an  English  merchant  at  Buenos  Ay  res 
maintained  they  must  have  been  manufactured  in  England,  till 
he  found  the  tassels  had  been  fastened  by  split  sinew. 

September  ISth. — We  had  a  very  long  ride  this  day.  At  the 
twelfth  posta,  whi:h  is  seven  leagues  south  of  the  Rio  Salado, 
we  came  to  the  first  estancia  with  cattle  and  white  women. 
Afterwards  we  had  to  ride  for  many  miles  through  a  country 
flooded  with  water  above  our  horses'  knees.  By  crossing  the 
stirrups,  and  riding  Arab-like  with  our  legs  bent  up,  we  con- 
trived to  keep  tolerably  dry.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  we 
arrived  at  the  Salado ;  the  stream  was  deep,  and  about  forty 
yards  wide ;  in  summer,  however,  its  bed  becomes  almost  dry, 
and  the  little  remaining  water  nearly  as  salt  as  that  of  the  sea. 
We  slept  at  one  of  the  great  estancias  of  General  Rosas.  It  was 
fortified,  and  of  such  an  extent,  that  arriving  in  the  dark  1 
thought  it  was  a  town  and  fortress.  In  the  morning  we  saw 
immense  herds  of  cattle,  the  general  here  having  seventy-four 
square  leagues  of  land.  Formerly  nearly  three  hundred  men 
were  employed  about  this  estate,  and  they  defied  all  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians. 

September  19th.— Passed  the  Guardia  del  Monte.  This  is  a 
nice  scattered  little  town,  with  many  gardens,  full  of  peach  and 
quince  trees.  The  plain  here  looked  like  that  around  Buenos 
Ayres ;  the  turf  being  short  and  bright  green,  with  beds  of 
clover  and  thistles,  and  with  bizcacha  holes.  I  was  very  much 
struck  with  the  marked  change  in  the  aspect  of  the  country  after 
having  crossed  the  Salado.  From  a  coarse  herbage  we  passed  on 
to  a  carpet  of  fine  green  verdure.  I  at  first  attributed  this  to 
some  change  in  the  nature  of  the  soil,  but  the  inhabitants 
assured  me  that  here,  as  well  as  in  Banda  Oriental,  where  there 
is  as  great  a  difference  between  the  country  around  Monte  Video 
and  the  thinly-inhabited  savannahs  of  Colonia,  the  whole  was 
to  be  attributed  to  the  manuring  and  grazing  of  the  cattle. 
Exactly  the  same  fact  has  been  observed  in  the  prairies*  of  North 
America,  where  coarse  grass,  between  five  and  six  feet  high, 

*  See  Mr.  Atwater's  account  of  the  Prairies,  in  Silliman's  X.  A.  Journal 
vol.  L  p.  117. 


1833.]  THE   CARDOOX.  119 

when  grazed  by  cattle,  changes  into  common  pasture  land.  I 
am  not  botanist  enough  to  say  whether  the  change  here  is  owing 
to  the  introduction  of  new  species,  to  the  altered  growth  of  the 
same,  or  to  a  difference  in  their  proportional  numbers.  Azara 
has  also  observed  with  astonishment  this  change  :  he  is  likewise 
much  perplexed  by  the  immediate  appearance  of  plants  not  oc- 
curring in  the  neighbourhood,  on  the  borders  of  any  track  that 
leads  to  a  newly-constructed  hovel.  In  another  part  he  says,* 
"  ces  chevaux  (sauvages)  ont  la  manie  de  preferer  les  chemins, 
et  le  bord  des  routes  pour  deposer  leurs  excremens,  dont  on  trouve 
des  monceaux  dans  ces  endroits."  Does  this  not  partly  explain 
the  .circumstance?  We  thus  have  lines  of  richly-manured  land 
serving  as  channels  of  communication  across  wide  districts. 

Xear  the  Guardia  we  find  the  southern  limit  of  two  European 
plants,  now  become  extraordinarily  common.  The  fennel  in 
great  profusion  covers  the  ditch-banks  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Buenos  Ayres,  Monte  Video,  and  other  towns.  But  the  cardoon 
(Cynara  cardunculus)']'  has  a  far  wider  range  :  it  occurs  in  these 
latitudes  on  both  sides  of  the  Cordillera,  across  the  continent. 
I  saw  it  in  unfrequented  spots  in  Chile,  Entre  Rios,  and  Banda 
Oriental.  In  the  latter  country  alone,  very  many  (probably 
several  hundred)  square  miles  are  covered  by  one  mass  of  these 
prickly  plants,  and  are  impenetrable  by  man  or  beast.  Over  the 
undulating  plains,  where  these  great  beds  occur,  nothing  else 
can  now  live.  Before  their  introduction,  however,  the  surface 
must  have  supported,  as  in  other  parts,  a  rank  herbage.  I 
doubt  whether  any  case  is  on  record  of  an  invasion  on  so  grand 
a  scale  of  one  plant  over  the  aborigines.  As  I  have  already 
said,  I  nowhere  saw  the  cardoon  south  of  the  Salado ;  but  it  is 

*  Azara's  Voyage,  vol.  5.  p.  373. 

f  M.  A.  d'Orbigny  (vol.  i.  p.  474)  says  that  the  cardoon  and  artichoke  are 
both  found  wild.  Dr.  Hooker  (Botanical  Magazine,  vol.  Iv.  p.  2862),  has 
described  a  variety  of  the  Cynara  from  this  part  of  South  America  under 
the  name  of  inermis.  He  states  that  botanists  are  now  generally  agreed  that 
the  cardoon  and  the  artichoke  are  varieties  of  one  plant.  I  may  add,  that  an 
intelligent  farmer  assured  me  that  he  had  observed  in  a  deserted  garden 
some  artichokes  changing  into  the  common  cardoon.  Dr.  Hooker  believes 
that  Head's  vivid  description  of  the  thistle  of  the  Pampas  applies  to  the  car- 
doon ;  but  this  is  a  mistake.  Captain  Head  referred  to  the  plant,  which  I 
have  mentioned  a  few  lines  lower  down,  under  the  title  of  giant  thistle 
Whether  it  is  a  true  thistle,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  it  is  quite  different  from  tlif 
cardoon ;  and  more  like  a  thistle  properly  so  called. 


120  BAHIA  BLANCA  TO   BUENOS   AYRES.         [CHAP.  vi. 

probable  that  in  proportion  as  that  country  becomes  inhabited, 
the  cardoon  will  extend  its  limits.  The  case  is  different  with 
the  giant  thistle  (with  variegated  leaves)  of  the  Pampas,  for  I 
met  with  it  in  the  valley  of  the  Sauce.  According  to  the 
principles  so  well  laid  down  by  Mr.  Lyell,  few  countries  have 
undergone  more  remarkable  changes,  since  the  year  1 535,  when 
the  first  colonist  of  La  Plata  landed  with  seventy-two  horses. 
The  countless  herds  of  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep,  not  only  have 
altered  the  whole  aspect  of  the  vegetation,  but  they  have  almost 
banished  the  guanaco,  deer,  and  ostrich.  Numberless  other 
changes  must  likewise  have  taken  place ;  the  wild  pig  in  some 
parts  probably  replaces  the  peccari ;  packs  of  wild  dogs  may.  be 
heard  howling  on  the  wooded  banks  of  the  less  frequented  streams  ; 
and  the  common  cat,  altered  into  a  large  and  fierce  animal,  in- 
habits rocky  hills.  As  M.  d'Orbigny  has  remarked,  the  increase 
in  numbers  of  the  carrion-vulture,  since  the  introduction  of  the 
domestic  animals,  must  have  been  infinitely  great ;  and  we  have 
given  reasons  for  believing  that  they  have  extended  their  southern 
range.  No  doubt  many  plants,  besides  the  cardoon  and  fennel, 
are  naturalized  ;  thus  the  islands  near  the  mouth  of  the  Parana, 
are  thickly  clothed  with  peach  and  orange  trees,  springing  from 
seeds  carried  there  by  the  waters  of  the  river. 

While  changing  horses  at  the  Guardia  several  people  ques- 
tioned us  much  about  the  army,— I  never  saw  any  thing  like  the 
enthusiasm  for  Rosas,  and  for  the  success  of  the  "  most  just  oi 
all  wars,  because  against  barbarians."  This  expression,  it  must 
be  confessed,  is  very  natural,  for  till  lately,  neither  man,  woman, 
nor  horse,  was  safe  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians.  We  had  a 
long  day's  ride  over  the  same  rich  green  plain,  abounding  with 
various  flocks,  and  with  here  and  there  a  solitary  estancia,  and 
its  one  ombu  tree.  In  the  evening  it  rained  heavily  :  on  arriv- 
ing at  a  post-house  we  were  told  by  the  owner  that  if  we  had 
not  a  regular  passport  we  must  pass  on,  for  there  were  so  many 
robbers  he  would  trust  no  one.  When  he  read,  however,  my 
passport,  which  began  with  "  El  Naturalista  Don  Carlos,"  his 
respect  and  civility  were  as  unbounded  as  his  suspicions  had  been 
before.  What  a  naturalist  might  be,  neither  he  nor  his  country- 
men, I  suspect,  had  any  idea ;  but  probably  my  title  lost  nothing 
of  its  value  from  that  cause. 


1833.]  THE   GREAT   CORRAL.  121 

September  20th.— We  arrived  by  the  middle  of  the  day  at 
Buenos  Ayres.  The  outskirts  of  the  city  looked  quite  pretty, 
with  the  agave  hedges,  and  groves  of  olive,  peach,  and  willow 
trees,  all  just  throwing  out  their  fresh  green  leaves.  I  rode  to 
the  house  of  Mr.  Lumb,  an  English  merchant,  to  whose  kind- 
ness and  hospitality,  during  my  stay  in  the  country,  I  was  greatly 
indebted. 

The  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  is  large  ;*  and  I  should  think  one 
of  the  most  regular  in  the  world.  Every  street  is  at  right  angles 
to  the  one  it  crosses,  and  the  parallel  ones  being  equidistant,  the 
houses  are  collected  into  solid  squares  of  equal  dimensions,  which 
are  called  quadras.  On  the  other  hand,  the  houses  themselves 
are  hollow  squares  ;  all  the  rooms  opening  into  a  neat  little 
courtyard.  They  are  generally  only  one  story  high,  with  flat 
roofs,  which  are  fitted  with  seats,  and  are  much  frequented  by 
the  inhabitants  in  summer.  In  the  centre  of  the  town  is  the 
Plaza,  where  the  public  offices,  fortress,  cathedral,  &c.,  stand. 
Here  also,  the  old  viceroys,  before  the  revolution,  had  their 
palaces.  The  general  assemblage  of  buildings  possesses  consider- 
able architectural  beauty,  although  none  individually  can  boast 
of  any. 

The  great  corral,  where  the  animals  are  kept  for  slaughter  to 
supply  food  to  this  beef-eating  population,  is  one  of  the  spectacles 
best  worth  seeing.  The  strength  of  the  horse  as  compared  to 
that  of  the  bullock  is  quite  astonishing :  a  man  on  horseback 
having  thrown  his  lazo  round  the  horns  of  a  beast,  can  drag  it 
any  where  he  chooses.  The  animal  ploughing  up  the  ground 
with  outstretched  legs,  in  vain  efforts  to  resist  the  force,  generally 
dashes  at  full  speed  to  one  side  ;  but  the  horse  immediately  turn- 
ing to  receive  the  shock,  stands  so  firmly  that  the  bullock  is 
almost  thrown  down,  and  it  is  surprising  that  their  necks  are  not 
broken.  The  struggle  is  not,  however,  one  of  fair  strength ; 
the  horse's  girth  being  matched  against  the  bullock's  extended 
neck.  In  a  similar  manner  a  man  can  hold  the  wildest  horse,  iJ 
caught  with  the  lazo,  just  behind  the  ears.  When  the  bullock 
has  been  dragged  to  the  spot  where  it  is  to  be  slaughtered,  the 
matador  with  great  caution  cuts  (he  hamstrings.  Then  is  given 

*  It  is  said  to  contain  60,000  inhabitants.  Monte  Video,  the  second  towr 
of  importance  on  the  banks  of  the  Plata,  has  15,000. 


122  BUENOS  AYRES.  [CHAP.  vi. 

;he  death  bellow ;  a  noise  more  expressive  of  fierce  agony  than 
any  I  know :  I  have  often  distinguished  it  from  a  long  distance, 
and  have  always  known  that  the  struggle  was  then  drawing  to  a 
close.  The  whole  sight  is  horrible  and  revolting :  the  ground  is 
almost  made  of  bones;  arid  the  horses  and  riders  are  drenched 
with  gore. 


1833.]  EXCURSION   TO   ST.   F&  123 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Excursion  to  St.  Fe— Thistle  Beds— Habits  of  the  Bizcacha— Little  Owl- 
Saline  Streams — Level  Plains — Mastodon — St.  Fe' — Change  in  Landscape 
— Geology — Tooth  of  extinct  Horse — Relation  of  the  Fossil  and  recent 
Quadrupeds  of  North  and  South  America — Effects  of  a  great  Drought — 
Parana — Habits  of  the  Jaguar — Scissor-beak— Kingfisher,  Parrot,  and 
Scissor-tail — Revolution — Buenos  Ayres — State  of  Government. 

BUENOS  AYRES  TO  ST.  FE  . 

September  27th. — IN  the  evening  I  set  out  on  an  excursion  to 
St.  Ft£,  which  is  situated  nearly  three  hundred  English  milea 
from  Buenos  Ayres,  on  the  banks  of  the  Parana.  The  roads  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  city,  after  the  rainy  weather,  were 
extraordinarily  bad.  I  should  never  have  thought  it  possible 
for  a  bullock  waggon  to  have  crawled  along :  as  it  was,  they 
scarcely  went  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  an  hour,  and  a  man  was  kept 
ahead,  to  survey  the  best  line  for  making  the  attempt.  The 
bullocks  were  terribly  jaded  :  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose 
that  with  improved  roads,  and  an  accelerated  rate  of  travelling, 
the  sufferings  of  the  animals  increase  in  the  same  proportion. 
We  passed  a  train  of  waggons  and  a  troop  of  beasts  on  their 
road  to  Mendoza.  The  distance  is  about  580  geographical  miles, 
and  the  journey  is  generally  performed  in  fifty  days.  These  wag- 
gons are  very  long,  narrow,  and  thatched  with  reeds ;  they  have 
only  two  wheels,  the  diameter  of  which  in  some  cases  is  as  much 
as  ten  feet.  Each  is  drawn  by  six  bullocks,  which  are  urged  on 
by  a  goad  at  least  twenty  feet  long :  this  is  suspended  from 
within  the  roof;  for  the  wheel  bullocks  a  smaller  one  is  kept ; 
and  for  the  intermediate  pair,  a  point  projects  at  right  angles 
from  the  middle  of  the  long  one.  The  whole  apparatus  looked 
like  some  implement  of  war. 

September  28th. — We  passed  the  small  town  of  Luxan,  where 
there  is  a  wooden  bridge  over  the  river — a  most  unusual  conve- 
nience in  this  country.  We  passed  also  Areco.  The  plains 


124  PAMPAS.  [CHAP.  vn. 

appeared  level,  but  were  not  so  in  fact ;  for  in  various  places  the 
horizon  was  distant.  The  estancias  are  here  wide  apart ;  for 
.here  is  little  good  pasture,  owing  to  the  land  being  covered  by 
beds  either  of  an  acrid  clover,  or  of  the  great  thistle.  The 
latter,  well  known  from  the  animated  description  given  by  Sir 
F.  Head,  were  at  this  time  of  the  year  two-thirds  grown  ;  in 
some  parts  they  were  as  high  as  the  horse's  back,  but  in  others 
they  had  not  yet  sprung  up,  and  the  ground  was  bare  arid  dusty 
as  on  a  turnpike-road.  The  clumps  were  of  the  most  brilliant 
green,  and  they  made  a  pleasing  miniature-likeness  of  broken 
forest  land.  When  the  thistles  are  full  grown,  the  great  beds 
are  impenetrable,  except  by  a  few  tracks,  as  intricate  as  those  in 
a  labyrinth.  These  are  only  known  to  the  robbers,  who  at  this 
season  inhabit  them,  and  sally  forth  at  night  to  rob  and  cut 
throats  with  impunity.  Upon  asking  at  a  house  whether  rob- 
bers were  numerous,  I  was  answered,  "  The  thistles  are  not  up 
yet ;" — the  meaning  of  which  reply  was  not  at  first  very  obvious. 
There  is  little  interest  in  passing  over  these  tracts,  for  they  are 
inhabited  by  few  animals  or  birds,  excepting  the  bizcacha  and 
its  friend  the  little  owl. 

The  bizcacha*  is  well  known  to  form  a  prominent  feature  in 
the  zoology  of  the  Pampas.  It  is  found  as  far  south  as  the  Rio 
Negro,  in  lat.  41°,  but  not  beyond.  It  cannot,  like  the  agouti, 
subsist  on  the  gravelly  and  desert  plains  of  Patagonia,  but  pre- 
fers a  clayey  or  sandy  soil,  which  produces  a  different  and  more 
abundant  vegetation.  Near  Mendoza,  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordil- 
lera, it  occurs  in  close  neighbourhood  with  the  allied  alpine  spe- 
cies. It  is  a  very  curious  circumstance  in  its  geographical  dis- 
tribution, that  it  has  never  been  seen,  fortunately  for  the  inha- 
bitants of  Banda  Oriental,  to  the  eastward  of  the  river  Uru- 
guay :  yet  in  this  province  there  are  plains  which  appear  admira- 
bly adapted  to  its  habits.  The  Uruguay  has  formed  an  insuper- 
able obstacle  to  its  migration ;  although  the  broader  barrier  oi 
the  Parana  lias  been  passed,  and  the  bizcacha  is  common  in 
Entre  Rios,  the  province  between  these  two  great  rivers.  Near 
Buenos  Ayres  these  animals  are  exceedingly  common.  Their 

*  The  bizcacha  (Lagostomus  trichodactylus)  somewhat  resembles  a  large 
rabbit,  but  with  bigger  gnawing  teeth  and  a  long  tail :  it  has,  however,  only 
three  toes  behind,  like  the  agouti.  During  the  last  three  or  four  years  the 
skins  of  these  animals  have  been  sent  to  England  for  the  sake  of  the  fur. 


1833.]  THE   BIZCACHA. 


most  favourite  resort  appears  to  be  those  parts  of  the  plain  which 
during  one  half  of  the  year  are  covered  with  giant  thistles,  to 
the  exclusion  of  other  plants.  The  Gauchos  affirm  that  it  lives 
on  roots ;  which,  from  the  great  strength  of  its  gnawing  teeth, 
and  the  kind  of  places  frequented  by  it,  seems  probable.  In  the 
evening  the  bizcachas  come  out  in  numbers,  and  quietly  sit  at 
the  mouths  of  their  burrows  on  their  haunches.  At  such  times 
they  are  very  tame,  and  a  man  on  horseback  passing  by  seems 
only  to  present  an  object  for  their  grave  contemplation.  They 
run  very  awkwardly,  and  when  running  out  of  danger,  from 
their  elevated  tails  and  short  front  legs,  much  resemble  great 
rats.  Thein  flesh,  when  cooked,  is  very  white  and  good,  but  it 
is  seldom  used. 

The  bizcacha  has  one  very  singular  habit ;  namely,  dragging 
every  hard  object  to  the  mouth  of  its  burrow :  around  each 
group  of  holes  many  bones  of  cattle,  stones,  thistle-stalks,  hard 
lumps  of  earth,  dry  dung,  &c.,  are  collected  into  an  irregular 
heap,  which  frequently  amounts  to  as  much  as  a  wheelbarrow 
would  contain.  I  was  credibly  informed  that  a  gentleman,  when 
riding  on  a  dark  night,  dropped  his  watch  ;  he  returned  in  the 
morning,  and  by  searching  the  neighbourhood  of  every  bizcacha 
hole  on  the  line  of  road,  as  he  expected,  he  soon  found  it.  This 
habit  of  picking  up  whatever  may  be  lying  on  the  ground  any 
where  near  its  habitation,  must  cost  much  trouble.  For  what 
purpose  it  is  done,  I  am  quite  unable  to  form  even  the  most  re- 
mote conjecture :  it  cannot  be  for  defence,  because  the  rubbish 
is  chiefly  placed  above  the  mouth  of  the  burrow,  which  enters 
the  ground  at  a  very  small  inclination.  No  doubt  there  must 
exist  some  good  reason  ;  but  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  are 
quite  ignorant  of  it.  The  only  fact  which  I  know  analogous  to 
it,  is  the  habit  of  that  extraordinary  Australian  bird,  the  Calo- 
dera  maculata,  which  makes  an  elegant  vaulted  passage  of  twigs 
for  playing  in,  and  which  collects  near  the  spot,  land  and  sea- 
shells,  bones,  and  the  feathers  of  birds,  especially  brightly  co- 
loured ones.  Mr.  Gould,  who  has  described  these  facts,  in- 
forms me,  that  the  natives,  when  they  lose  any  hard  object, 
search  the  playing  passages,  and  he  has  known  a  tobacco-pipe 
thus  recovered. 

The  little  owl  (Athene  cuuicularia),  which  has  been  so  often 


126  PAMPAS.  [CHAP.  vn. 

mentioned,  on  the  plains  of  Buenos  Ayres  exclusively  inhabits 
the  holes  of  the  bizcacha ;  but  in  Banda  Oriental  it  is  its  own 
workman.  During  the  open  day,  but  more  especially  in  the 
evening,  these  birds  may  be  seen  in  every  direction  standing  fre- 
quently by  pairs  on  the  hillock  near  their  burrows.  If  disturbed 
they  either  enter  the  hole,  or,  uttering  a  shrill  harsh  cry,  move 
with  a  remarkably  undulatory  flight  to  a  short  distance,  and 
then  turning  round,  steadily  gaze  at  their  pursuer.  Occasionally 
in  the  evening  they  may  be  heard  hooting.  I  found  in  the  sto- 
machs of  two  which  I  opened  the  remains  of  mice,  and  I  one 
day  saw  a  small  snake  killed  and  carried  away.  It  is  said  that 
snakes  are  their  common  prey  during  the  daytime.  - 1  may  here 
mention,  as  showing  on  what  various  kinds  of  food  owls  subsist, 
that  a  species  killed  among  the  islets  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago, 
had  its  stomach  full  of  good-sized  crabs.  In  India*  there  is  a 
fishing  genus  of  owls,  which  likewise  catches  crabs. 

In  the  evening  we  crossed  the  Eio  Arrecife  on  a  simple  raft 
made  of  barrels  lashed  together,  and  slept  at  the  post-house  on 
the  other  side.  1  this  day  paid  horse-hire  for  thirty-one  leagues  ; 
and  although  the  sun  was  glaring  hot  I  was  but  little  fatigued. 
When  Captain  Head  talks  of  riding  fifty  leagues  a  day,  I  do 
not  imagine  the  distance  is  equal  to  150  English  miles.  At  all 
events,  the  thirty-one  leagues  was  only  76  miles  in  a  straight 
line,  and  in  an  open  country  I  should  think  four  additional  miles 
for  turnings  would  be  a  sufficient  allowance. 

29th  and  30th. — We  continued  to  ride  over  plains  of  the 
same  character.  At  San  Nicolas  I  first  saw  the  noble  river  of 
the  Parana.  At  the  foot  of  the  cliff  on  which  the  town  stands, 
some  large  vessels  were  at  anchor.  Before  arriving  at  Rozario, 
we  crossed  the  Saladillo,  a  stream  of  fine  clear  running  water, 
but  too  saline  to  drink.  Eozario  is  a  large  town  built  on  a  dead 
level  plain,  which  forms  a  cliff  about  sixty  feet  high  over  the 
Parana.  The  river  here  is  very  broad,  with  many  islands,  which 
are  low  and  wooded,  as  is  also  the  opposite  shore.  The  view 
would  resemble  that  of  a  great  lake,  if  it  were  not  for  the  linear- 
shaped  islets,  which  alone  give  the  idea  of  running  water.  The 
cliffs  are  the  most  picturesque  part ;  sometimes  they  are  abso- 
lutely perpendicular,  and  of  a  red  colour  ;  at  other  times  in  large 
*  Journal  of  Asiatic  Soc.,  vol.  v.  p.  363. 


1833.]  RIO   TERCERO.  127 

broken  masses,  covered  with  cacti  and  mimosa-trees..  The  real 
grandeur,  however,  of  an  immense  river  like  this,  is  derived 
from  reflecting  how  important  a  means  of  communication  and 
commerce  it  forms  between  one  nation  and  another  ;  to  what  a 
distance  it  travels  ;  and  from  how  vast  a  territory  it  drains  the 
great  body  of  fresh  water  which  flows  past  your  feet. 

For  many  leagues  north  and  south  of  San  Nicolas  and  Roza- 
rio,  the  country  is  really  level.  Scarcely  anything  which  travel- 
lers have  written  about  its  extreme  flatness,  can  be  considered  as 
exaggeration.  Yet  I  could  never  find  a  spot  where,  by  slowly 
turning  round,  objects  were  not  seen  at  greater  distances  in  some 
directions  than  in  others ;  and  this  manifestly  proves  inequality 
in  the  plain.  At  sea,  a  person's  eye  being  six  feet  above  the 
surface  of  the  water,  his  horizon  is  two  miles  and  four-fifths  dis- 
tant. In  like  manner,  the  more  level  the  plain,  the  more  nearly 
does  the  horizon  approach  within  these  narrow  limits ;  and  this, 
in  my  opinion,  entirely  destroys  that  grandeur  which  one  would 
have  imagined  that  a  vast  level  plain  would  have  possessed. 

October  1st. — We  started  by  moonlight  and  arrived  at  the 
Rio  Tercero  by  sunrise.  This  river  is  also  called  the  Saladillo, 
and  it  deserves  the  name,  for  the  water  is  brackish.  I  stayed 
here  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  searching  for  fossil  bones. 
Besides  a  perfect  tooth  of  the  Toxodon,  and  many  scattered 
bones,  1  found  two  immense  skeletons  near  each  other,  projecting 
in  bold  relief  from  the  perpendicular  cliff  of  the  Parana.  They 
were,  however,  so  completely  decayed,  that  I  could  only  bring 
away  small  fragments  of  one  of  the  great  molar  teeth  ;  but  these 
are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  remains  belonged  to  a  Mastodon, 
probably  to  the  same  species  with  that,  which  formerly  must  have 
.nhabited  the  Cordillera  in  Upper  Peru  in  such  great  numbers. 
The  men  who  took  me  in  the  canoe,  said  they  had  long  known 
of  these  skeletons,  and  had  often  wondered  how  they  had  got 
there :  the  necessity  of  a  theory  being  felt,  they  came  to  the 
conclusion  that,  like  the  bizcacha,  the  mastodon  was  formerly  a 
burrowing  animal !  In  the  evening  we  rode  another  stage,  and 
crossed  the  Monge,  another  brackish  stream,  bearing  the  dregs 
of  the  washings  of  the  Pampas. 

October  2nd. — We  passed  through  Corunda,  which,  from  the 
luxuriance  of  its  gardens,  was  one  of  the  prettiest  villages  I  saw, 


128  ST.   Fl§.  [CHAP.  vn. 

From  this,  point  to  St.  Fe  the  road  is  not  very  safe.  The  western 
side  of  the  Parana  northward,  ceases  to  be  inhabited  ;  and  hence 
the  Indians  sometimes  come  down  thus  far,  and  waylay  travellers. 
The  nature  of  the  country  also  favours  this,  for  instead  of  a  grassy 
plain,  there  is  an  open  woodland,  composed  of  low  prickly 
mimosas.  We  passed  some  houses  that  had  been  ransacked  and 
since  deserted  ;  we  saw  also  a  spectacle,  which  my  guides  viewed 
with  high  satisfaction  ;  it  was  the  skeleton  of  an  Indian  with  the 
dried  skin  hanging  on  the  bones,  suspended  to  the  branch  of  a 
tree. 

In  the  morning  we  arrived  at  St.  Fe.  I  was  surprised  to 
observe  how  great  a  change  of  climate  a  difference  of  only  three 
degrees  of  latitude  between  this  place  and  Buenos  Ayres  had 
caused.  This  was  evident  fronr*  the  dress  and  complexion  of  the 
men — from  the  increased  size  of  the  ombu-trees— the  number  of 
new  cacti  and  other  plants — and  especially  from  the  birds.  In 
the  course  of  an  hour  I  remarked  half-a-dozen  birds,  which  I  had 
never  seen  at  Buenos  Ayres.  Considering  that  there  is  no  natural 
boundary  between  the  two  places,  and  that  the  character  of  the 
country  is  nearly  similar,  the  difference  was  much  greater  than  I 
should  have  expected 

October  3rd  and  4tk. — I  was  confined  for  these  two  days  to 
my  bed  by  a  headach.  A  good-natured  old  woman,  who  attended 
me,  wished  me  to  try  many  odd  remedies.  A  common  practice 
is,  to  bind  an  orange-leaf  or  a  bit  of  black  plaster  to  each  temple  : 
and  a  still  more  general  plan  is,  to  split  a  bean  into  halves, 
moisten  them,  and  place  one  on  each  temple,  where  they  will 
easily  adhere.  It  is  not  thought  proper  ever  to  remove  the  beans 
or  plaster,  but  to  allow  them  to  drop  off;  and  sometimes,  if  a 
man,  with  patches  on  his  head,  is  asked,  what  is  the  matter?  he 
will  answer,  "  I  had  a  headach  the  day  before  yesterday."  Many 
of  the  remedies  used  by  the  people  of  the  country  are  ludicrously 
strange,  but  too  disgusting  to  be  mentioned.  One  of  the  least 
nasty  is  to  kill  and  cut  open  two  puppies  and  bind  them  on  each 
side  of  a  broken  limb.  Little  hairless  dogs  are  in  great  request 
to  sleep  at  the  feet  of  invalids. 

St.  Fe  is  a  quiet  little  town,  and  is  kept  clean  and  in  good 
order.  The  governor,  Lopez,  was  a  common  soldier  at  the  time 
of  the  revolution ;  but  has  now  been  seventeen  years  in  power. 


1833.]  GEOLOGY   OF   THE   PAMPAS.  129 

This  stability  of  government  is  owing  to  his  tyrannical  habits ; 
for  tyranny  seems  as  yet  better  adapted  to  these  countries  than 
republicanism.  The  governor's  favourite  occupation  is  hunting 
Indians :  a  short  time  since  he  slaughtered  forty-eight,  and  sold 
the  children  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  pounds  apiece. 

October  5th. — We  crossed  the  Parana  to  St.  Fe  Bajada,  a 
town  on  the  opposite  shore.  The  passage  took  some  hours,  as 
the  river  here  consisted  of  a  labyrinth  of  small  streams,  separated 
by  low  wooded  islands.  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  an  old 
Catalonian  Spaniard,  who  treated  me  with  the  most  uncommon 
hospitality.  The  Bajada  b  the  capital  of  Entre  Eios.  In  1825 
the  town  contained  6000  inhabitants,  and  the  province  30,000 ; 
yet,  few  as  the  inhabitants  are,  no  province  has  suffered  more  from 
bloody  and  desperate  revolutions.  They  boast  here  of  repre- 
sentatives, ministers,  a  standing  army,  and  governors :  so  it  is  no 
wonder  that  they  have  their  revolutions.  At  some  future  day 
this  must  be  one  of  the  richest  countries  of  La  Plata.  The  soil 
is  varied  and  productive ;  and  its  almost  insular  form  gives  it 
two  grand  lines  of  communication  by  the  rivers  Parana  and 
Uruguay. 

I  was  delayed  here  five  days,  and  employed  myself  in  ex- 
amining the  geology  of  the  surrounding  country,  which  was  very 
interesting.  We  here  see  at  the  bottom  of  the  cliffs,  beds  contain- 
ing sharks'  teeth  and  sea-shells  of  extinct  species,  passing  above 
into  an  indurated  marl,  and  from  that  into  the  red  clayey  earth 
of  the  Pampas,  with  its  calcareous  concretions  and  the  bones  of 
terrestrial  quadrupeds.  This  vertical  section  clearly  tells  us  of  a 
large  bay  of  pure  salt-water,  gradually  encroached  on,  and  at  last 
converted  into  the  bed  of  a  muddy  estuary,  into  which  floating 
carcasses  were  swept.  At  Puuta  Gorda,  in  Banda  Oriental,  I 
found  an  alternation  of  the  Pampoean  estuary  deposit,  with  a 
limestone  containing  some  of  the  same  extinct  sea-shells;  and 
this  shows  either  a  change  in  the  former  currents,  or  more  pro- 
bably an  oscillation  of  level  in  the  bottom  of  the  ancient  estuary. 
Until  lately,  my  reasons  for  considering  the  Pampaean  formation 
to  be  an  estuary  deposit  were,  its  general  appearance,  its  position  at 
the  mouth  of  the  existing  great  river  the  Plata,  and  the  presence 
of  so  many  bones  of  terrestrial  quadrupeds :  but  now  Professoj 


130  ST.   Ffi.  [CHAP.  vn. 

Ebrenberg  has  had  the  kindness  to  examine  for  me  a  little  of  the 
red  earth,  taken  from  low  down  in  the  deposit,  close  to  the 
skeletons  of  the  mastodon,  and  he  finds  in  it  many  infusoria, 
partly  salt-water  and  partly  fresh-water  forms,  with  the  latter 
rather  preponderating ;  and  therefore,  as  he  remarks,  the  water 
must  have  been  brackish.  M.  A.  d'Orbigny  found  on  the  banks 
of  the  Parana,  at  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet,  great  beds  of  an 
estuary  shell,  now  living  a  hundred  miles  lower  down  nearer  the 
sea ;  and  I  found  similar  shells  at  a  less  height  on  the  banks  of 
the  Uruguay  :  this  shows  that  just  before  the  Pampas  was  slowly 
elevated  into  dry  land,  the  water  covering  it  was  brackish. 
Below  Buenos  Ayres  there  are  upraised  beds  of  sea-shells  of 
existing  species,  which  also  proves  that  the  period  of  elevation 
of  the  Pampas  was  within  the  recent  period. 

In  the  Pampaean  deposit  at  the  Bajada  I  found  the  osseous  armour 
of  a  gigantic  armadillo-like  animal,  the  inside  of  which,  when  the 
earth  was  removed,  was  like  a  great  cauldron  ;  I  found  also  teeth  of 
the  Toxodon  and  Mastodon,  and  one  tooth  of  a  Horse,  in  the  same 
stained  and  decayed  state.  This  latter  tooth  greatly  interested 
me,*  and  1  took  scrupulous  care  in  ascertaining  that  it  had  been 
embedded  contemporaneously  with  the  other  remains ;  for  I  was 
not  then  aware  that  amongst  the  fossils  from  Bahia  Blanca  there 
was  a  horse's  tooth  hidden  in  the  matrix  :  nor  was  it  then  known 
with  certainty  that  the  remains  of  horses  are  common  in  North 
America.  Mr.  Lyell  has  lately  brought  from  the  United  States 
a  tooth  of  a  horse ;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  Professor 
Owen  could  find  in  no  species,  either  fossil  or  recent,  a  slight 
but  peculiar  curvature  characterizing  it,  until  he  thought  of  com- 
paring it  with  my  specimen  found  here :  he  has  named  this 
American  horse  Equus  curvidens.  Certainly  it  is  a  marvellous 
fact  in  the  history  of  the  Mammalia,  that  in  South  America  a 
native  horse  should  have  Kved  and  disappeared,  to  be  succeeded 
in  after  ages  by  the  countless  herds  descended  from  the  few 
introduced  with  the  Spanish  colonists ! 

The  existence  in  South  America  of  a  fossil  horse,  of  the 
mastodon,  possibly  of  an  elephant,']'  and  of  a  hollow-horned 

*  I  need  hardly  state  here  that  there  is  good  evidence  against  any  horse 
living  in  America  at  the  time  of  Columbus, 
t  Cuvier,  Ossemens  Fossiles,  torn.  i.  p.  158. 


1833.]      ZOOLOGY  OF  NORTH  AND  SOUTH  AMERICA.          131 

ruminant,  discovered  by  MM.  Lund  and  Clausen  in  the  caves  of 
Brazil,  are  highly  interesting  facts  with  respect  to  the  geo- 
graphical distribution  of  animals.  At  the  present  time,  if  we 
divide  America,  not  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  but  by  the 
southern  part  of  Mexico*  in  lat.  20°,  where  the  great  table- land 
presents  an  obstacle  to  the  migration  of  species,  by  affecting  the 
climate,  and  by  forming,  with  the  exception  of  some  valleys  and 
of  a  fringe  of  low  land  on  the  coast,  a  broad  barrier ;  we  shall 
then  have  the  two  zoological  provinces  of  North  and  South 
America  strongly  contrasted  with  each  other.  Some  few  species 
alone  have  passed  the  barrier,  and  may  be  considered  as  wander- 
ers from  the  south,  such  as  the  puma,  opossum,  kinkajou,  and  pec- 
cari.  South  America  is  characterized  by  possessing  many  peculiar 
gnawers,  a  family  of  monkeys,  the  llama,  peccari,  tapir,  opossums, 
and,  especially,  several  genera  of  Edentata,  the  order  which  in- 
cludes the  sloths,  ant-eaters,  and  armadillos.  North  America, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  characterized  (putting  on  one  side  a  few 
wandering  species)  by  numerous  peculiar  gnawers,  and  by  four 
genera  (the  ox,  sheep,  goat,  and  antelope)  of  hollow-horned 
ruminants,  of  which  great  division  South  America  is  not  known 
to  possess  a  single  species.  Formerly,  but  within  the  period 
when  most  of  the  now  existing  shells  were  living,  North 
America  possessed,  besides  hollow-horned  ruminants,  the  ele- 
phant, mastodon,  horse,  and  three  genera  of  Edentata,  namely, 
the  Megatherium,  Megalonyx,  and  Mylodon.  Within  nearly  this 
same  periods  (as  proved  by  the  shells'  at  Bahia  Blanca)  South 
America  possessed,  as  we  ha\e  just  seen,  a  mastodon,  horse, 
hollow-horned  ruminant,  and  the  same  three  genera  (as  well  as 
several  others)  of  the  Edentata.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  North 
and  South  America,  in  having  within  a  late  geological  period 
these  several  genera  in  common,  were  much  more  closely  related 
in  the  character  of  their  terrestrial  inhabitants  than  they  now  are. 

*  This  is  the  geographical  division  folio-wed  by  Lichtenstein,  Swaiuson, 
Erichson,  and  Richardson.  The  section  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Acapulco,  given 
by  Humboldt  in  the  Polit.  Essay  on  Kingdom  of  N.  Spain,  will  show  how 
immense  a  barrier  the  Mexican  table-land  forms.  Dr.  Richardson,  in  his 
admirable  Report  on  the  Zoology  of  N.  America  read  before  the  Brit.  Assoc. 
1836  (p.  157),  talking  of  the  identification  of  a  Mexican  animal  with  the 
Synetheres  prehensilis,  says,  "  We  do  not  know  with  what  propriety,  but  if 
correct,  it  is,  if  not  a  solitary  instance,  at  least  very  nearly  so,  (if  a  rodent 
animal  being  common  to  North  arid  South  America/ 


132  ST.   Ffi.  [CHAP.  TII. 

The  more  I  reflect  on  this  case,  the  more  interesting  it  appears : 
I  know  of  no  other  instance  where  we  can  almost  mark  the 
period  and  manner  of  the  splitting  up  of  one  great  region  into 
two  well-characterized  zoological  provinces.  The  geologist,  who 
is  fully  impressed  with  the  vast  oscillations  of  level  which  have 
affected  the  earth's  crust  within  late  periods,  will  not  fear  to 
speculate  on  the  recent  elevation  of  the  Mexican  platform,  or, 
more  probably,  on  the  iccent  submergence  of  land  in  the  West 
Indian  Archipelago,  as  the  cause  of  the  present  zoological  sepa- 
ration of  North  and  South  America.  The  South  American 
character  of  the  West  Indian  mammals  *  seems  to  indicate  that 
this  archipelago  was  formerly  united  to  the  southern  continent, 
and  that  it  has  subsequently  been  an  area  of  subsidence. 

When  America,  and  especially  North  America,  possessed  its 
elephants,  mastodons,  horse,  and  hollow-horned  ruminants,  it  was 
much  more  closely  related  in  its  zoological  characters  to  the 
temperate  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia  than  it  now  is.  As  the 
remains  of  these  genera  are  found  on  both  sides  of  Behring's 
Straitsf  and  on  the  plains  of  Siberia,  we  are  led  to  look  to  the 
north-western  side  of  North  America  as  the  former  point  of 
communication  between  the  Old  and  so-called  New  World.  And 
as  so  many  species,  both  living  and  extinct,  of  these  same  genera 
inhabit  and  have  inhabited  the  Old  World,  it  seems  most  probable 
that  the  North  American  elephants,  mastodons,  horse,  and  hollovv- 
liorned  ruminants  migrated,  on  land  since  submerged  near  Beh- 
ring's Straits,  from  Siberia  into  North  America,  and  thence,  on 
land  since  submerged  in  the  West  Indies,  into  South  America, 
where  for  a  time  they  mingled  with  the  forms  characteristic  of 
that  southern  continent,  and  have  since  become  extinct. 

While  travelling  through  the  country,  I  received  several  vivid 
descriptions  of  the  effects  of  a  late  great  drought ;  and  the 
account  of  this  may  throw  some  light  on  the  cases  where  vast 

*  See  Dr.  Richardson's  Report,  p.  157;  also  L'Institut,  1837,  p.  253. 
Cuvier  gays  the  kinkajou  is  found  in  the  larger  Antilles,  but  this  is  doubtful. 
M.  Gervais  states  that  the  Didelphis  crancrivora  is  found  there.  It  is  certain 
that  the  West  Indies  possess  some  mammifers  peculiar  to  themselves.  A  tooth 
of  a  mastodon  has  been  brought  from  Bahama :  Edin.  New  Phil.  Jouru. 
1826,  p.  395. 

t  See  the  admirable  Appendix  by  Dr.  Buckland  to  Beechey's  Voyage 
also  the  writings  of  Chamisso  in  Kotzebue's  Voyage. 


1833.]  THE   GREAT   DROUGHT.  133 

numbers  of  animals  of  all  kinds  have  been  embedded  together. 
The  period  included  between  the  years  1827  and  1830  is  called 
tlie"gran  seco,"  or  the  great  drought.  During  this  time  so 
little  rain  fell,  that  the  vegetation,  even  to  the  thistles,  failed ; 
the  brooks  were  dried  up,  and  the  whole  country  assumed  the 
appearance  of  a  dusty  high  road.  This  was  especially  the  case 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  province  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  the 
southern  part  of  St.  Fe.  Very  great  numbers  of  birds,  wild 
animals,  cattle,  and  horses  perished  from  the  want  of  food  and 
water.  A  man  told  me  that  the  deer*  used  to  come  into  his 
courtyard  to  the  well,  which  he  had  been  obliged  to  dig  to  supply 
nis  own  family  with  wafer ;  and  that  the  partridges  had  hardly 
strength  to  fly  away  when  pursued.  The  lowest  estimation  of 
the  loss  of  cattle  in  the  province  of  Buenos  Ayres  alone,  was 
taken  at  one  million  head.  A  proprietor  at  San  Pedro  had  pre- 
viously to  these  years  20,000  cattle ;  at  the  end  not  one  re- 
mained. San  Pedro  is  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  finest 
country  ;  and  even  now  abounds  again  with  animals ;  yet,  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  '*  gran  seco,"  live  cattle  were  brought  in 
vessels  for  the  consumption  of  the  inhabitants.  The  animals 
roamed  from  their  estancias,  and,  wandering  far  southward,  were 
mingled  together  in  such  multitudes,  that  a  government  com- 
mission was  sent  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  settle  the  disputes  of  the 
owners.  Sir  Woodbine  Parish  informed  me  of  another  and  very 
curious  source  of  dispute ;  the  ground  being  so  long  dry,  such 
quantities  of  dust  were  blown  about,  that  in  this  open  country 
the  landmarks  became  obliterated,  and  people  could  not  tell  the 
limits  of  their  estates. 

I  was  informed  by  an  eyewitness  that  the  cattle  in  herds  of 
thousands  rushed  into  the  Parana,  and  being  exhausted  by  hunger 
they  were  unable  to  crawl  up  the  muddy  banks,  and  thus  were 

*  In  Capt.  Owen's  Surveying  Voyage  (vol.  ii.  p.  274)  there  is  a  curioue 
account  of  the  effects  of  a  drought  on  the  elephants,  at  Benguela  (west  coast 
of  Africa).  "  A  number  of  these  animals  had  some  time  since  entered  the 
town,  in  a  body,  to  possess  themselves  of  the  wells,  not  being  able  to  procure 
any  water  in  the  country.  The  inhabitants  mustered,  when  a  desperate 
conflict  ensued,  which  terminated  in  the  ultimate  discomfiture  of  the  in- 
vaders, but  not  until  they  had  killed  one  man,  and  wounded  several  others." 
The  to-wn  is  said  to  have  a  population  of  nearly  three  thousand  !  Dr.  Mal- 
colmson  informs  me,  that  during  a  great  drought  in  India  the  wild  animals 
entered  the  tents  of  some  troops  at  Ellore,  and  that  a  hare  drank  out  of  a 
vessel  held  by  the  adjutant  of  the  regiment. 


134  ST.   Fit  [CHAP.  vn. 

drowned.  The  arm  of  the  river  which  runs  by  San  Pedro  was 
so  full  of  putrid  carcasses,  that  the  master  of  a  vessel  told  me 
that  the  smell  rendered  it  quite  impassable.  Without  doubt 
several  hundred  thousand  animals  thus  perished  in  the  river : 
their  bodies  when  putrid  were  seen  floating  down  the  stream  ; 
and  many  in  all  probability  were  deposited  in  the  estuary  of  the 
Plata.  All  the  small  rivers  became  highly  saline,  and  this  caused 
the  death  of  vast  numbers  in  particular  spots  ;  for  when  an  animal 
drinks  of  such  water  it  does  not  recover.  Azara  describes*  the 
fury  of  the  wild  horses  on  a  similar  occasion,  rushing  into  the 
marshes,  those  which  arrived  first  being  overwhelmed  and 
crushed  by  those  which  followed.  He  adds  that  more  than  once 
he  has  seen  the  carcasses  of  upwards  of  a  thousand  wild  horses 
thus  destroyed.  I  noticed  that  the  smaller  streams  in  the  Pampas 
were  paved  with  a  breccia  of  bones,  but  this  probably  is  the 
effect  of  a  gradual  increase,  rather  than  of  the  destruction  at 
any  one  period.  Subsequently  to  the  drought  of  1827  to  '32, 
a  very  rainy  season  followed,  which  caused  great  floods.  Hence 
it  is  almost  certain  that  some  thousands  of  the  skeletons  were 
buried  by  the  deposits  of  the  very  next  year.  What  would  be 
the  opinion  of  a  geologist,  viewing  such  an  enormous  collection 
of  bones,  of  all  kinds  of  animals  and  of  all  ages,  thus  embedded 
in  one  thick  earthy  mass  ?  Would  he  not  attribute  it  to  a  flood 
having  swept  over  the  surface  of  the  land,  rather  than  to  the 
common  order  of  things  ?j 

October  \2th. — I  had  intended  to  push  my  excursion  further, 
but  not  being  quite  well,  I  was  compelled  to  return  by  a 
balandra,  or  one-masted  vessel  of  about  a  hundred  tons'  burden, 
which  was  bound  to  Buenos  Ayres.  As  the  weather  was  not 
fair,  we  moored  early  in  the  day  to  a  branch  of  a  tree  on  one  ol 
the  islands.  The  Parana  is  full  of  islands,  which  undergo  a  con- 
stant round  of  decay  and  renovation.  In  the  memory  of  the 
master  several  large  ones  had  disappeared,  and  others  again  had 
been  formed  and  protected  by  vegetation.  They  are  composed 
of  muddy  sand,  without  even  the  smallest  pebble,  and  were  then 

*  Travels,  vol.  i.  p.  374. 

t  These  droughts  to  a  certain  degree  seem  to  be  almost  periodical ;  1 
•vas  told  the  dates  of  several  others,  and  the  intervals  were  about  fifteen 
years. 


1833.]  HABITS   OF  THE   JAGUAR.  135 

about  four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river ;  but  during  the 
periodical  floods  they  are  inundated.  They  all  present  one  cha- 
racter ;  numerous  willows  arid  a  few  other  trees  are  bound  to- 
gether by  a  great  variety  of  creeping  plants,  thus  forming  a  thick 
jungle.  These  thickets  afford  a  retreat  for  capybaras  and 
jaguars.  The  fear  of  the  latter  animal  quite  destroyed  all  plea- 
sure in  scrambling  through  the  woods.  This  evening  I  had  not 
proceeded  a  hundred  yards,  before  finding  indubitable  signs  of 
the  recent  presence  of  the  tiger,  I  was  obliged  to  come  back. 
On  every  island  there  were  tracks  ;  and  as  on  the  former  excursion 
"  el  rastro  de  los  Indios"  had  been  the  subject  of  conversation,  so 
in  this  was  "  el  rastro  del  tigre." 

The  wooded  banks  of  the  great  rivers  appear  to  be  the  favourite 
haunts  of  the  jaguar  ;  but  south  of  the  Plata,  I  was  told  that  they 
frequented  the  reeds  bordering  lakes :  wherever  they  are,  they  seem 
to  require  water.  Their  common  prey  is  the  capybara,  so  that 
it  is  generally  said,  where  capybaras  are  numerous  there  is  little 
danger  from  the  jaguar.  Falconer  states  that  near  the  southern 
side  of  the  mouth  of  the  Plata  there  are  many  jaguars,  and  that 
they  chiefly  live  on  fish ;  this  account  I  have  heard  repeated. 
On  the  Parana  they  have  killed  many  wood-cutters,  and  have 
even  entered  vessels  at  night.  There  is  a  man  now  living  in  the 
Bajada,  who,  coming  up  from  below  when  it  was  dark,  was  seized 
on  the  deck ;  he  escaped,  however,  with  the  loss  of  the  use  of 
one  arm.  When  the  floods  drive  these  animals  from  the  islands, 
they  are  most  dangerous.  I  was  told  that  a  few  years  since  a 
very  large  one  found  its  way  into  a  church  at  St.  Fe :  two  padres 
entering  one  after  the  other  were  killed,  and  a  third,  who  came 
to  see  what  was  the  matter,  escaped  with  difficulty.  The  beast 
was  destroyed  by  being  shot  from  a  corner  of  the  building  which 
was  unroofed.  They  commit  also  at  these  times  great  ravages 
among  cattle  and  horses.  It  is  said  that  they  kill  their  prey  by 
breaking  their  necks.  If  driven  from  the  carcass,  they  seldom 
return  to  it.  The  Gauchos  say  that  the  jaguar,  when  wandering 
about  at  night,  is  much  tormented  by  the  foxes  yelping  as  they 
follow  him.  This  is  a  curious  coincidence  with  the  fact  which  is 
generally  affirmed  of  the  jackals  accompanying,  in  a  similarly 
officious  manner,  the  East  Indian  tiger.  The  jaguar  is  a  noisy 
animal,  roaring  much  by  night,  and  especially  before  bad  weather. 
10 


136  RIO  PARANA.  [CHAP.  vn. 

One  day,  when  hunting  on  the  banks  of  the  Uruguay,  I  was 
shown  certain  trees,  to  which  these  animals  constantly  recur  for 
the  purpose,  as  it  is  said,  of  sharpening  their  claws.  I  saw  three 
well-known  trees  ;  in  front,  the  bark  was  worn  smooth,  as  if  by 
the  breast  of  the  animal,  and  on  each  side  there  were  deep 
scratches,  or  rather  grooves,  extending  in  an  oblique  line,  nearly 
a  yard  in  length.  The  scars  were  of  different  ages.  A  common 
method  of  ascertaining  whether  a  jaguar  is  in  the  neighbourhood 
is  to  examine  these  trees.  I  imagine  this  habit  of  the  jaguar  is 
exactly  similar  to  one  which  may  any  day  be  seen  in  the  common 
cat,  as  with  outstretched  legs  and  exserted  claws  it  scrapes  the 
leg  of  a  chair ;  and  I  have  heard  of  young  fruit-trees  in  an 
orchard  in  England  having  been  thus  much  injured.  Some  such 
habit  must  also  be  common  to  the  puma,  for  on  the  bare  hard  soil 
of  Patagonia  I  have  frequently  seen  scores  so  deep  that  no  other 
animal  could  have  made  them.  The  object  of  this  practice  is,  I 
believe,  to  tear  off  the  ragged  points  of  their  claws,  and  not,  as 
the  Gauchos  think,  to  sharpen  them.  The  jaguar  is  killed, 
without  much  difficulty,  by  the  aid  of  dogs  baying  and  driving 
him  up  a  tree,  where  he  is  despatched  with  bullets. 

Owing  to  bad  weather  we  remained  two  days  at  our  mcorings. 
Our  only  amusement  was  catching  fish  for  our  dinner:  there 
were  several  kinds,  and  all  good  eating.  A  fish  called  the 
"  armado"  (a  Silurus)  is  remarkable  from  a  harsh  grating  noise 
which  it  makes  when  caught  by  hook  and  line,  and  which  can  be 
distinctly  heard  when  the  fish  is  beneath  the  water.  This  same  fish 
has  the  power  of  firmly  catching  hold  of  any  object,  such  as  the 
blade  of  an  oar  or  the  fishing-line,  with  the  strong  spine  both  of 
its  pectoral  and  dorsal  fin.  In  the  evening  the  weather  was  quite 
tropical,  the  thermometer  standing  at  79°.  Numbers  of  fireflies 
were  hovering  about,  and  the  musquitoes  were  very  troublesome. 
I  exposed  my  hand  for  five  minutes,  and  it  was  soon  black  with 
them ;  I  do  not  suppose  there  could  have  been  less  than  fifty,  all 
busy  sucking. 

October  15th.— We  got  under  way  and  passed  Punta  Gorda, 
where  there  is  a  colony  of  tame  Indians  from  the  province  of 
Missiones.  We  sailed  rapidly  down  the  current,  but  before 
sunset,  from  a  silly  fear  of  bad  weather,  we  brought-to  in  a  nar- 
row arm  of  the  river.  I  took  the  boat  and  rowed  some  distance 


1833.]  THE   SCISSOR-BEAK.  137 

up  this  creek.  It  was  very  narrow,  winding,  and  deep  ;  on  each 
side  a  wall  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  formed  by  trees  intwined 
with  creepers,  gave  to  the  canal  a  singularly,  gloomy  appearance, 
I  here  saw  a  very  extraordinary  bird,  called  the  Scissor-beak 
(Rhynchops  nigra).  It  has  short  legs,  web  feet,  extremely  long- 
pointed  wings,  and  is  of  about  the  size  of  a  tern.  The  beak  is 


flattened  laterally,  that  is,  in  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  that  of  a 
spoonbill  or  duck.  It  is  as  flat  and  elastic  as  an  ivory  paper- 
cutter,  and  the  lower  mandible,  differently  from  every  other  bird, 
is  an  inch  and  a  half  longer  than  the  upper.  In  a  lake  near 
Maldonado,  from  which  the  water  had  been  nearly  drained,  and 
which,  in  consequence,  swarmed  with  small  fry,  I  saw  several  of 
these  birds,  generally  in  small  flocks,  flying  rapidly  backwards 
and  forwards  close  to  the  surface  of  the  lake.  They  kept  their 
bills  wide  open,  and  the  lower  mandible  half  buried  in*  the 
water.  Thus  skimming  the  surface,  they  ploughed  it  in  their 
course :  the  water  was  quite  smooth,  and  it  formed  a  most  curious 
spectacle  to  behold  a  flock,  each  bird  leaving  its  narrow  wake  on 
the  mirror-like  surface.  In  their  flight  they  frequently  twist 
about  with  extreme  quickness,  and  dexterously  manage  with  their 
projecting  lower  mandible  to  plough  up  small  fish,  which  are 
secured  by  the  upper  and  shorter  half  of  their  scissor-like  bills. 
This  fact  I  repeatedly  saw,  as,  like  swallows,  they  continued  to 
fly  backwards  and  forwards  close  before  me.  Occasionally  when 
leaving  the  surface  of  the  water  their  flight  was  wild,  irregular, 
and  rapid ;  they  then  uttered  loud  harsh  cries.  When  these 
birds  are  fishing,  the  advantage  of  the  long  primary  feathers  of 
their  wings,  in  keeping  them  dry,  is  very  evident.  When  thus 
employed,  their  forms  resemble  the  symbol  by  which  many  artists 
represent  marine  birds.  Their  tails  are  much  used  in  steering 
their  irregular  course. 


138  RIO   PARANA.  [CHAP.  vn. 

These  birds  are  common  far  inland  along  the  course  of  the 
Rio  Parana ;  it  is  said  that  they  remain  here  during  the  whole 
year,  and  breed  in  the  marshes.  During  the  day  they  rest  in 
flocks  en  the  grassy  plains,  at  some  distance  from  the  water. 
Being  at  anchor,  as  I  have  said,  in  one  of  the  deep  creeks  be- 
tween the  islands  of  the  Parana,  as  the  evening  drew  to  a  close, 
one  of  these  scissor-beaks  suddenly  appeared.  The  water  was 
quite  still,  and  many  little  fish  were  rising.  The  bird  continued 
for  a  long  time  to  skim  the  surface,  flying  in  its  wild  and  irre- 
gular manner  up  and  down  the  narrow  canal,  now  dark  with  the 
growing  night  and  the  shadows  of  the  overhanging  trees.  At 
Monte  Video,  I  observed  that  some  large  flocks  during  the  day 
remained  on  the  mud-banks  at  the  head  of  the  harbour,  in  the 
same  manner  as  on  the  grassy  plains  near  the  Parana ;  and  every 
evening  they  took  flight  seaward.  From  these  facts  I  suspect 
that  the  Rhynchops  generally  fishes  by  night,  at  which  time  many 
of  the  lower  animals  come  most  abundantly  to  the  surface.  M. 
Lesson  states  that  he  has  seen  these  birds  opening  the  shells  of 
the  mactrae  buried  in  the  sand-banks  on  the  coast  of  Chile  : 
from  their  weak  bills,  with  the  lower  mandible  so  much  project- 
ing, their  short  legs  and  long  wings,  it  is  very  improbable  that 
this  can  be  a  general  habit. 

In  our  course  down  the  Parana,  I  observed  only  three  other 
birds,  whose  habits  are  worth  mentioning.  One  is  a  small  king- 
fisher (Ceryle  Americana)  ;  it  has  a  longer  tail  than  the  European 
species,  and  hence  does  not  sit  in  so  stiff  and  upright  a  position. 
Its  flight  also,  instead  of  being  direct  and  rapid,  like  the  course 
of  an  arrow,  is  weak  and  undulatory,  as  among  the  soft-billed 
birds.  It  utters  a  low  note,  like  tiie  clicking  together  of  two 
small  stones.  A  small  green  parrot  (Conurus  murinus),  with  a 
grey  breast,  appears  to  prefer  the  tall  trees  on  the  islands  to  any 
other  situation  for  its  building-place.  A  number  of  nests  are 
placed  so  close  together  as  to  form  one  great  mass  of  sticks. 
These  parrots  always  live  in  flocks,  and  commit  great  ravages  on 
the  corn-Selds.  I  was  told  that  near  Colonia  2500  were  killed 
in  the  course  of  one  year.  A  bird  with  a  forked  tail,  terminated 
by  two  long  feathers  (Tyrannus  savana),  and  named  by  the 
Spaniards  scissor-tail,  is  very  common  near  Buenos  Ayres :  it 
commonly  sits  on  a  branch  of  the  ombu  tree,  near  a  house,  and 


1833.]  RIO   PARANA.  139 

thence  takes  a  short  flight  in  pursuit  of  insects,  and  returns  to 
the  same  spot.  When  on  the  wing  it  presents  in  its  manner  of 
flight  and  general  appearance  a  caricature-likeness  of  the  com- 
mon swallow.  It  has  the  power  of  turning  very  shortly  in  the 
air,  and  in  so  doing  opens  and  shuts  its  tail,  sometimes  in  a 
horizontal  or  lateral  and  sometimes  in  a  vertical  direction,  just 
like  a  pair  of  scissors. 

October  IQth. — Some  leagues  below  Rozario,  the  western 
shore  of  the  Parana  is  bounded  by  perpendicular  cliffs,  which 
extend  in  a  long  line  to  below  San  Nicolas ;  hence  it  more 
resembles  a  sea-coast  than  that  of  a  fresh-water  river.  It  is 
a  great  drawback  to  the  scenery  of  the  Parana,  that,  from  the  soft 
nature  of  its  banks,  the  water  is  very  muddy.  The  Uruguay, 
flowing  through  a  granitic  country,  is  much  clearer;  and  where 
the  two  channels  unite  at  the  head  of  the  Plata,  the  waters 
may  for  a  long  distance  be  distinguished  by  their  black  and  red 
colours.  In  the  evening,  the  wind  being  not  quite  fair,  as  usual 
we  immediately  moored,  and  the  next  day,  as  it  blew  rather 
freshly,  though  with  a  favouring  current,  the  master  was  much 
too  indolent  to  think  of  starting.  At  Bajada,  he  was  described 
to  me  as  "  hombre  muy  aflicto  " — a  man  always  miserable  to  get 
on  ;  but  certainly  he  bore  all  delays  with  admirable  resignation. 
He  was  an  old  Spaniard,  and  had  been  many  years  in  this 
country.  He  professed  a  great  liking  to  the  English,  but  stoutly 
maintained  that  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  was  merely  won  by  the 
Spanish  captains  having  been  all  bought  over  ;  and  that  the  only 
really  gallant  action  on  either  side  was  performed  by  the  Spanish 
admiral.  It  struck  me  as  rather  characteristic,  that  this  man 
should  prefer  his  countrymen  being  thought  the  worst  of  traitors, 
rather  than  unskilful  or  cowardly. 

18th  and  19th.— We  continued  slowly  te  sa;l  down  the  noble 
stream :  the  current  helped  us  but  little.  We  met,  during  our 
descent,  very  few  vessels.  One  of  the  best  gifts  of  nature,  in  so 
grand  a  channel  of  communication,  seems  here  wilfully  thrown 
away  —  a  river  in  which  ships  might  navigate  from  a  temperate 
country,  as  surprisingly  abundant  in  certain  productions  as  desti- 
tute of  others,  to  another  possessing  a  tropical  climate,  and  a  soil 
which,  according  to  the  best  of  judges,  M.  Bonpland,  is  perhaps 
unequalled  in  fertility  in  any  part  of  the  world.  How  different 


140  REVOLUTION  AT   BUENOS   AYRES.          [CHAP.  VH. 

would  have  been  the  aspect  of  this  river  if  English  colonists  had 
by  good  fortune  first  sailed  up  the  Plata !  What  noble  towns 
would  now  have  occupied  its  shores !  Till  the  death  of  Francia,  the 
Dictator  of  Paraguay,  these  two  countries  must  remain  distinct,  as 
if  placed  on  opposite  sides  of  the  globe.  And  when  the  old 
bloody-minded  tyrant  is  gone  to  his  long  account,  Paraguay  will 
be  torn  by  revolutions,  violent  in  proportion  to  the  previous  un- 
natural calm.  That  country  will  have  to  learn,  like  every  other 
South  American  state,  that  a  republic  cannot  succeed  till  it  con- 
tains a  certain  body  of  men  imbued  with  the  principles  of  justice 
and  honour. 

October  20th. — Being  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Parana,  and 
as  I  was  very  anxious  to  reach  Buenos  Ayres,  I  went  on  shore  at 
Las  Conchas,  with  the  intention  of  riding  there.  Upon  landing, 
I  found  to  my  great  surprise  that  I  was  to  a  certain  degree  a 
prisoner.  A  violent  revolution  having  broken  out,  all  the  ports 
were  laid  under  an  embargo.  I  could  not  return  to  my  vessel, 
and  as  for  going  by  land  to  the  city,  it  was  out  of  the  question. 
After  a  long  conversation  with  the  commandant,  I  obtained  per- 
mission to  go  the  next  day  to  General  Rolor,  who  commanded  a 
division  of  the  rebels  on  this  side  the  capital.  In  the  morning 
I  rode  to  the  encampment.  The  general,  officers,  and  soldiers, 
all  appeared,  and  I  believe  really  were,  great  villains.  The 
general,  the  very  evening  before  he  left  the  city,  voluntarily  went 
to  the  Governor,  and  with  his  hand  to  his  heart,  pledged  his  word 
of  honour  that  he  at  least  would  remain  faithful  to  the  last.  The 
genera]  told  me  that  the  city  was  in  a  state  of  close  blockade,  and 
that  all  he  could  do  was  to  give  me  a  passport  to  the  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  rebels  at  Quilmes.  We  had  therefore  to  take  a 
great  sweep  round  the  city,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that 
we  procured  horses.  My  reception  at  the  encampment  was  quite 
civil,  but  I  was  told  it  was  impossible  that  I  could  be  allowed  to 
enter  the  city.  I  was  veiy  anxious  about  this,  as  I  anticipated 
the  Beagle's  departure  from  the  Rio  Plata  earlier  than  it  took 
place.  Having  mentioned,  however,  General  Rosas's  obliging 
kindness  to  me  when  at  the  Colorado,  magic  itself  could  not 
have  altered  circumstances  quicker  than  did  this  conversation.  I 
was  instantly  told  that  though  they  could  not  give  me  a  passport, 
if  I  chose  to  leave  my  guide  and  horses,  I  might  pass  their  sen- 


1833.]  REVOLUTION  AT   BUENOS  AYRES.  141 

tinels.  I  was  too  glad  to  accept  of  this,  and  an  officer  was  sent 
with  me  to  give  directions  that  I  should  not  be  stopped  at  the 
bridge.  The  road  for  the  space  of  a  league  was  quite  deserted. 
I  met  one  party  of  soldiers,  who  were  satisfied  by  gravely  look- 
ing at  an  old  passport:  and  at  length  I  was  not  a  little  pleased  to 
find  myself  within  the  city. 

This  revolution  was  supported  by  scarcely  any  pretext  of 
grievances :  but  in  a  state  which,  in  the  course  of  nine  months 
'from  February  to  October,  1820),  underwent  fifteen  changes  in 
its  government — each  governor,  according  to  the  constitution, 
being  elected  for  three  years — it  would  be  very  unreasonable  to 
ask  for  pretexts.  In  this  case,  a  party  of  men — who,  being  at- 
tached to  Rosas,  were  disgusted  with  the  governor  Balcarce — to 
the  number  of  seventy  left  the  city,  and  with  the  cry  of  Rosas 
the  whole  country  took  arms.  The  city  was  then  blockaded,  no 
provisions,  cattle  or  horses,  were  allowed  to  enter ;  besides  this, 
there  was  only  a  little  skirmishing,  and  a  few  meu  daily  killed. 
The  outside  party  well  knew  that  by  stopping  the  supply  of  meat 
they  would  certainly  be  victorious.  General  Rosas  could  not  have 
known  of  this  rising ;  but  it  appears  to  be  quite  consonant  with 
ihe  plans  of  his  party.  A  year  ago  he  was  elected  governor,  but 
he  refused  it,  unless  the  Sala  would  also  confer  on  him  extra- 
ordinary powers.  This  was  refused,  and  since  then  his  party 
have  shown  that  no  other  governor  can  keep  his  place.  The 
warfare  on  both  sides  was  avowedly  protracted  till  it  was  possible 
to  hear  from  Rosas.  A  note  arrived  a  few  days  after  I  left 
Buenos  Ayres,  which  stated  that  the  General  disapproved  of 
peace  having  been  broken,  but  that  he  thought  the  outside  party 
had  justice  on  their  side.  On  the  bare  reception  of  this,  the 
Governor,  ministers,  and  part  of  the  military,  to  the  number  of 
some  hundreds,  fled  from  the  city.  The  rebels  entered,  elected  a 
new  governor,  and  were  paid  for  their  services  to  the  number  of 
5500  men.  From  these  proceedings,  it  was  clear  that  Rosas 
ultimately  would  become  the  dictator :  to  the  term  king,  the 
people  in  this,  as  in  other  republics,  have  a  particular  dislike. 
Since  leaving  South  America,  we  have  heard  that  Rosas  has  been 
elected,  with  powers  and  for  a  time  altogether  opposed  to  the 
constitutional  principles  of  the  republic. 


142  BANDA   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  Tin. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Excursion  to  Colonia  del  Sacramiento  —  Value  of  an  Estancia  —  Cattle, 
how  counted — Singular  Breed  of  Oxen — Perforated  Pebbles  —  Shep- 
herd Dogs  —  Horses  Broken-in,  Gauchos  Riding  —  Character  of  In- 
habitants—Rio Plata— Flocks  of  Butterflies— Aeronaut  Spiders— Phospho- 
rescence of  the  Sea — Port  Desire — Guanaco — Port  St.  Julian — Geology 
of  Patagonia — Fossil  gigantic'  Animal — Types  of  Organization  constant 
— Change  in  the  Zoology  of  America — Causes  of  Extinction. 

BANDA    ORIENTAL    AND    PATAGONIA. 

HAVING  been  delayed  for  nearly  a  fortnight  in  the  city,  I  was 
glad  to  escape  on  board  a  packet  bound  for  Monte  Video.  A 
town  in  a  state  of  blockade  must  always  be  a  disagreeable  place 
of  residence ;  in  this  case  moreover  there  were  constant  appre- 
hensions from  robbers  within.  The  sentinels  were  the  worst  of 
all ;  for,  from  their  office  and  from  having  arms  in  their  hands, 
they  robbed  with  a  degree  of  authority  which  other  men  could 
not  imitate. 

Our  passage  was  a  very  long  and  tedious  one.  The  Plata 
looks  like  a  noble  estuary  on  the  map ;  but  is  in  truth  a  poor 
affair.  A  wide  expanse  of  muddy  water  has  neither  grandeur  nor 
beauty.  At  one  time  of  the  day,  the  two  shores,  both  of  which 
are  extremely  low,  could  just  be  distinguished  from  the  deck. 
On  arriving  at  Monte  Video  I  found  that  the  Beagle  would  not  sail 
for  some  time,  so  I  prepared  for  a  short  excursion  in  this  part  of 
Banda  Oriental.  Everything  which  I  have  said  about  the  country 
near  Maldonado  is  applicable  to  M.  Video  ;  but  the  land,  with  the 
one  exception  of  the  Green  Mount,  450  feet  high,  from  which  it 
takes  its  name,  is  far  more  level.  Very  little  of  the  undulating 
grassy  plain  is  enclosed  ;  but  near  the  town  there  are  a  few  hedge- 
banks,  covered  with  agaves,  cacti,  and  fennel. 

November  14th. — We  left  Monte  Video  in  the  afternoon.  I 
intended  to  proceed  to  Colonia  del  Sacramiento,  situated  on  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Plata  and  opposite  to  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
thence,  following  up  the  Uruguay,  to  the  village  of  Mercedes  on 


1833.]  BANDA   ORIENTAL.  143 

the  Rio  Negro  (one  of  the  many  rivers  of  this  name  in  South 
America),  and  from  this  point  to  return  direct  to  Monte  Video. 
We  slept  at  the  house  of  my  guide  at  Canelones.  In  the  morning 
we  rose  early,  in  the  hopes  of  being  able  to  ride  a  good  distance  ; 
but  it  was  a  vain  attempt,  for  all  the  rivers  were  flooded.  We 
passed  in  boats  the  streams  of  Canelones,  St.  Lucia,  and  San  Jose, 
and  thus  lost  much  time.  On  a  former  excursion  I  crossed  the 
Lucia  near  its  mouth,  and  I  was  surprised  to  observe  how  easily 
our  horses,  although  not  used  to  swim,  passed  over  a  width  of  at 
least  six  hundred  yards.  On  mentioning  this  at  Monte  Video,  I 
was  told  that  a  vessel  containing  some  mountebanks  and  their 
horses,  being  wrecked  in  the  Plata,  one  horse  swam  seven  miles 
to  the  shore.  In  the  course  of  the  day  I  was  amused  by  the  dex- 
terity with  which  a  Gaucho  forced  a  restive  horse  to  swim  a 
river.  He  stripped  offhis  clothes,  and  jumping  on  its  back,  rode 
into  the  water  till  it  was  out  of  its  depth  ;  then  slipping  off  over 
the  crupper,  he  caught  hold  of  the  tail,  and  as  often  as  the  horse 
turned  round,  the  man  frightened  it  back  by  splashing  water  in 
its  face.  As  soon  as  the  horse  touched  the  bottom  on  the  other 
side,  the  man  pulled  himself  on,  and  was  firmly  seated,  bridle  in 
hand,  before  the  horse  gained  the  bank.  A  naked  man  on  a 
naked  horse  is  a  fine  spectacle  ;  I  had  no  idea  how  well  the  two 
animals  suited  each  other.  The  tail  of  a  horse  is  a  very  useful 
appendage ;  I  have  passed  a  river  in  a  boat  with  four  people  in 
it,  which  was  ferried  across  in  the  same  way  as  the  Gaucho.  If 
a  man  arid  horse  have  to  cross  a  broad  river,  the  best  plan  is  for 
the  man  to  catch  hold  of  the  pommel  or  mane,  and  help  himself 
with  the  other  arm. 

We  slept  and  stayed  the  following  day  at  the  post  of  Cufre.  In 
the  evening  the  postman  or  letter-carrier  arrived.  He  was  a  day 
after  his  time,  owing  to  the  Rio  Rozario  being  flooded.  It 
would  not,  however,  be  of  much  consequence ;  for,  although  he 
had  passed  through  some  of  the  principal  towns  in  Banda 
Oriental,  his  luggage  consisted  of  two  letters  !  The  view  from 
the  house  was  pleasing ;  an  undulating  green  surface,  with  dis- 
tant glimpses  of  the  Plata.  I  find  that  I  look  at  this  province 
with  very  different  eyes  from  what  I  did  upon  my  first  arrival.  I 
recollect  I  then  thought  it  singularly  level ;  but  now,  after  gal- 
loping  over  the  Pampas,  my  only  surprise  is,  what  could  havo 


144  BAND  A   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vm. 

induced  me  ever  to  have  called  it  level.  The  country  is  a  series 
of  undulations,  in  themselves  perhaps  not  absolutely  great,  but,  as 
compared  to  the  plains  of  St.  Fe,  real  mountains.  From  these 
inequalities  there  is  an  abundance  of  small  rivulets,  and  the  turf 
is  green  and  luxuriant 

November  17th.— We  crossed  the  Rozario,  which  was  deep 
and  rapid,  and  passing  the  village  of  Colla,  arrived  at  mid-day 
at  Colonia  del  Sacramiento.  The  distance  is  twenty  leagues, 
through  a  country  covered  with  fine  grass,  but  poorly  stocked 
with  cattle  or  inhabitants.  I  was  invited  to  sleep  at  Colonia, 
and  to  accompany  on  the  following  day  a  gentleman  to  his  estan- 
cia,  where  there  were  some  limestone  rocks.  The  town  is  built 
on  a  stony  promontory  something  in  the  same  manner  as  at 
Monte  Video.  It  is  strongly  fortified,  but  both  fortifications 
and  town  suffered  much  in  the  Brazilian  war.  It  is  very  an- 
cient ;  and  the  irregularity  of  the  streets,  and  the  surrounding 
groves  of  old  orange  and  peach  trees,  gave  it  a  pretty  appear- 
ance. The  church  is  a  curious  ruin ;  it  was  used  as  a  powder- 
magazine,  and  was  struck  by  lightning  in  one  of  the  ten  thousand 
thunder-storms  of  the  Rio  Plata.  Two-thirds  of  the  building 
were  blown  away  to  the  very  foundation ;  and  the  rest  stands  a 
shattered  and  curious  monument  of  the  united  powers  of  light- 
ning and  gunpowder.  In  the  evening  I  wandered  about  the 
half-demolished  walls  of  the  town.  It  was  the  chief  seat  of  the 
Brazilian  war; — a  war  most  injurious  to  this  country,  not  so 
much  in  its  immediate  effects,  as  in  being  the  origin  of  a  multi- 
tude of  generals  and  all  other  grades  of  officers.  More  generals 
are  numbered  (but  not  paid)  in  the  United  Provinces  of  La 
Plata  than  in  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain.  These 
gentlemen  have  learned  to  like  power,  and  do  not  object  to  a 
little  skirmishing.  Hence  there  are  many  always  on  the  watch 
to  create  disturbance  and  to  overturn  a  government  which  as 
yet  has  never  rested  on  any  stable  foundation.  I  noticed,  how- 
ever, both  here  and  in  other  places,  a  very  general  interest  in 
the  ensuing  election  for  the  President ;  and  this  appears  a  good 
sign  for  the  prosperity  of  this  little  country.  The  inhabitants 
do  not  require  much  education  in  their  representatives  ;  I  heard 
some  men  discussing  the  merits  of  those  for  Colonia ;  and  it  was 
said  that,  "  although  they  were  not  men  of  business,  they  could 


1833.]  CURIOUS  BREED   OF  OXEN.  145 

nil  sign  their  names:"  with  this  they  seemed  to  think  every 
reasonable  man  ought  to  be  satisfied. 

18th. — Rode  with  my  host  to  his  estancia,  at  the  Arroyo  do 
San  Juan.  In  the  evening  we  took  a  ride  round  the  estate  :  it 
contained  two  square  leagues  and  a  half,  and  was  situated  in 
what  is  called  a  rincon ;  that  is,  one  side  was  fronted  by  the 
Plata,  and  the  two  others  guarded  by  impassable  brooks.  There 
was  an  excellent  port  for  little  vessels,  and  an  abundance  of 
small  wood,  which  is  valuable  as  supplying  fuel  to  Buenos  Ayres. 
I  was  curious  to  know  the  value  of  so  complete  an  estancia.  Of 
cattle  there  were  3000,  and  it  would  well  support  threo  or  four 
times  that  number;  of  mares  feOO,  together  with  150  broken- in 
horses,  and  600  sheep.  There  was  plenty  of  water  and  lime- 
stone, a  rough  house,  excellent  corrals,  and  a  peach  orchard. 
For  all  this  he  had  been  offered  2000/.,  and  he  only  wanted  500/. 
additional,  and  probably  would  sell  it  for  less.  The  chiel 
trouble  with  an  estancia  is  driving  the  cattle  twice  a  week  to  a 
central  spot,  in  order  to  make  them  tame,  and  to  count  them. 
This  latter  operation  would  be  thought  difficult,  where  there  are 
ten  or  fifteen  thousand  head  together.  It  is  managed  on  the 
principle  that  the  cattle  invariably  divide  themselves  into  little 
troops  of  from  forty  to  one  hundred.  Each  troop  is  recognised 
by  a  few  peculiarly  marked  animals,  and  its  number  is  known : 
so  that,  one  being  lost  out  of  ten  thousand,  it  is  perceived  by  its 
absence  from  one  of  the  tropillas.  During  a  stormy  night  the 
cattle  all  mingle  together ;  but  the  next  morning  the  tropillas 
separate  as  before ;  so  that  each  animal  must  know  its  fellow 
out  of  ten  thousand  others. 

On  two  occasions  I  met  with  in  this  province  some  oxen  of  a 
very  curious  breed,  called  nata  or  niata.  They  appear  exter- 
nally to  hold  nearly  the  same  relation  to  other  cattle,  which  bull 
or  pug  dogs  do  to  other  dogs.  Their  forehead  is  very  short  and 
broad,  with  the  nasal  end  turned  up,  and  the  upper  lip  much 
drawn  back ;  their  lower  jaws  project  beyond  the  upper,  and 
have  a  corresponding  upward  curve ;  hence  their  teeth  are  always 
exposed.  Their  nostrils  are  seated  high  up  and  are  very  open  ; 
their  eyes  project  outwards.  When  walking  they  carry  their 
heads  low,  on  a  short  neck  ;  and  their  hinder  legs  are  rather 
longer  compared  with  the  front  legs  than  is  usual.  Their  bare 


146  BANDA   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vin. 

teeth,  their  short  heads,  and  upturned  nostrils  give  them  the 
most  ludicrous  self-confident  air  of  defiance  imaginable. 

Since  my  return,  I  have  procured  a  skeleton  head,  through 
the  kindness  of  my  friend  Captain  Sulivan,  R.N.,  which  is  now 
deposited  in  the  College  of  Surgeons.*  Don  F.  Muniz,  of 
Luxan,  has  kindly  collected  for  me  all  the  information  which  he 
could  respecting  this  breed.  From  his  account  it  seems  that 
about  eighty  or  ninety  years  ago,  they  were  rare  and  kept  as 
curiosities  at  Buenos  Ayres.  The  breed  is  universally  believed 
to  have  originated  amongst  the  Indians  southward  of  the  Plata  ; 
and  that  it  was  with  them  the  commonest  kind.  Even  to  this 
day,  those  reared  in  the  provinces  near  the  Plata  show  their  less 
civilized  origin,  in  being  fiercer  than  common  cattle,  and  in  the 
cow  easily  deserting  her  first  calf,  if  visited  too  often  or  molested. 
It  is  a  singular  fact  that  an  almost  similar  structure  to  the  ab- 
normal f  one  of  the  niata  breed,  characterizes,  as  I  am  informed 
by  Dr.  Falconer,  that  great  extinct  ruminant  of  India,  the  Siva- 
therium.  The  breed  is  very  true ;  and  a  niata  bull  and  cow 
invariably  produce  niata  calves.  A  niata  bull  with  a  common 
cow,  or  the  reverse  cross,  produces  offspring  having  an  interme- 
diate character,  but  with  the  niata  characters  strongly  displayed  : 
according  to  Senor  Muniz,  there  is  the  clearest  evidence,  con- 
trary to  the  common  belief  of  agriculturists  in  analogous  cases, 
that  the  niata  cow  when  crossed  with  a  common  bull  transmits 
her  peculiarities  more  strongly  than  the  niata  bull  when  crossed 
with  a  common  cow.  When  the  pasture  is  tolerably  long,  the 
niata  cattle  feed  with  the  tongue  and  palate  a*;  well  as  common 
cattle ;  but  during  the  great  droughts,  when  so  many  animals 
perish,  the  niata  breed  is  under  a  great  disadvantage,  and  would 
be  exterminated  if  not  attended  to  ;  for  the  common  cattle,  like 
horses,  are  able  just  to  keep  alive,  by  browsing  with  their  lips  on 
twigs  of  trees  and  reeds ;  this  the  niatas  cannot  so  well  do,  as 
their  lips  do  not  join,  and  hence  they  are  found  to  perish  before 
the  common  cattle.  This  strikes  me  as  a  good  illustration  of 
how  little  we  are  able  to  judge  from  the  ordinary  habits  of  life, 

*  Mr.  Waterhouse  has  drawn  up  a  detailed  description  of  this  head, 
which  I  hope  he  will  publish  in  some  Journal. 

f  A  nearly  similar  abnormal,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  hereditary,  struc- 
ture has  been  observed  in  the  carp,  and  likewise  in  the  crocodile  of  the 
Ganges:  Histoire  des  Anomalies,  par  M.  Isid.  Geoffrey  St.  Hilaire,  torn.  L 
p.  244. 


1833.]  CONVERSATION   OF   THE   INHABITANTS.  MY 

on  what  circumstances,  occurring  only  at  long  intervals,  the 
rarity  or  extinction  of  a  species  may  be  determined. 

November  I9tk. — Passing  the  valley  of  Las  Vacas,  we  slept 
at  a  house  of  a  North  American,  who  worked  a  lime-kiln  on 
the  Arroyo  de  las  Vivoras.  In  the  morning  we  rode  to  a  pro- 
jecting headland  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  called  Punta  Gorda. 
On  the  way  we  tried  to  find  a  jaguar.  There  were  plenty  of 
fresh  tracks,  and  we  visited  the  trees,  on  which  they  are  said  to 
sharpen  their  claws ;  but  we  did  not  succeed  in  disturbing  one. 
From  this  point  the  Rio  Uruguay  presented  to  our  view  a  noble 
volume  of  water.  From  the  clearness  and  rapidity  of  the  stream, 
its  appearance  was  far  superior  to  that  of  its  neighbour  the  Pa- 
rana. On  the  opposite  coast,  several  branches  from  the  latter 
river  entered  the  Uruguay.  As  the  sun  was  shining,  the  two 
colours  of  the  waters  could  be  seen  quite  distinct. 

In  the  evening  we  proceeded  on  our  road  towards  Mercedes 
on  the  Rio  Negro.  At  night  we  asked  permission  to  sleep  at  an 
estancia  at  which  we  happened  to  arrive.  It  was  a  very  large 
estate,  being  ten  leagues  square,  and  the  owner  is  one  of  the 
greatest  landowners  in  the  country.  His  nephew  had  charge  of 
it,  and  with  him  there  was  a  captain  in  the  army,  who  the  other 
day  ran  away  from  Buenos  Ayres.  Considering  their  station, 
their  conversation  was  rather  amusing.  They  expressed,  as  was 
usual,  unbounded  astonishment  at  the  globe  being  round,  and 
could  scarcely  credit  that  a  hole  would,  if  deep  enough,  come 
out  on  the  other  side.  They  had,  however,  heard  of  a  country 
where  there,  were  six  months  light  and  six  of  darkness,  and  where 
the  inhabitants  were  very  tall  and  thin !  They  were  curious 
about  the  price  and  condition  of  horses  and  cattle  in  England. 
Upon  finding  out  we  did  not  catch  our  animals  with  the  lazo, 
they  cried  out,  "  Ah,  then,  you  use  nothing  but  the  bolas :"  the 
idea  of  an  enclosed  country  was  quite  new  to  them.  The  cap- 
tain at  last  said,  he  had  one  question  to  ask  me,  which  he  should 
be  very  much  obliged  if  I  would  answer  with  all  truth.  I  trem- 
bled to  think  how  deeply  scientific  it  would  be :  it  was,  "  Whe- 
ther the  ladies  of  Buenos  Ayres  were  not  the  handsomest  in  the 
world."  I  replied,  like  a  renegade,  "  Charmingly  so."  He 
added,  "  I  have  one  other  question  :  Do  ladies  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world  wear  such  large  combs  ?"  I  solemnly  assured 


148  BAND  A  ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vin. 

him  that  they  did  not.  They  were  absolutely  delighted.  The 
captain  exclaimed,  "  Look  there !  a  man  who  has  seen  half  the 
world  says  it  is  the  case ;  we  always  thought  so,  but  now  we 
know  it."  My  excellent  judgment  in  combs  and  beauty  pro- 
cured me  a  most  hospitable  reception  ;  the  captain  forced  me  to 
take  his  bed,  and  he  would  sleep  on  his  recado. 

2lst.— Started  at  sunrise,  and  rode  slowly  during  the  whole 
day.  The  geological  nature  of  this  part  of  the  province  was 
different  from  the  rest,  and  closely  resembled  that  of  the  Pam- 
pas. Tn  consequence,  *here  were  immense  beds  of  the  thistle, 
as  well  as  of  the  cardoon :  the  whole  country,  indeed,  may  be 
called  one  great  bed  of  these  plants.  The  two  sorts  grow  sepa- 
rate, each  plant  in  company  with  its  own  kind.  The  cardoon  is 
as  high  as  a  horse's  back,  but  the  Pampas  thistle  is  often  higher 
than  the  crown  of  the  rider's  head.  To  leave  the  road  for  a 
yard  is  out  of  the  question  ;  and  the  road  itself  is  partly,  and  in 
some  cases  entirely,  closed.  Pasture,  of  course  there  is  none ; 
if  cattle  or  horses  once  enter  the  bed,  they  are  for  the  time  com- 
pletely lost.  Hence  it  is  very  hazardous  to  attempt  to  drive 
cattle  at  this  season  of  the  year  ;  for  when  jaded  enough  to  face 
the  thistles,  they  rush  among  them,  and  are  seen  no  more.  In 
these  districts  there  are  very  few  estancias,  and  these  few  are 
situated  in  the  neighbourhood  of  damp  valleys,  where  fortu- 
nately neither  of  these  overwhelming  plants  can  exist.  As  night 
came  on  before  we  arrived  at  our  journey's  end,  we  slept  at  a 
miserable  little  hovel  inhabited  by  the  poorest  people.  The  ex- 
treme though  rather  formal  courtesy  of  our  host  and  hostess, 
considering  their  grade  of  life,  was  quite  delightful. 

November  22nd. — Arrived  at  an  estancia  on  the  Berquelo  be- 
longing to  a  very  hospitable  Englishman,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter 
of  introduction  from  my  friend  Mr.  Lumb.  I  stayed  here  three 
days.  One  morning  I  rode  with  my  host  to  the  Sierra  del  Pedro 
Flaco,  about  twenty  miles  up  the  Rio  Negro.  Nearly  the  whole 
country  was  covered  with  good  though  coarse  grass,  which  was 
as  high  as  a  horse's  belly ;  yet  there  were  square  leagues  without 
a  single  head  of  cattle.  The  province  of  Banda  Oriental,  if  well 
stocked,  would  support  an  astonishing  number  of  animals ;  at 
present  the  annual  export  of  hides  from  Monte  Video  amounts 
to  three  hundred  thousand  ;  and  the  home  consumption,  from 


1833.]  HILL   OF  BEADS.  149 

waste,  is  very  considerable.  An  estanciero  told  me  that  he  often 
had  to  send  large  herds  of  cattle  a  long  journey  to  a  salting  esta 
blishment,  and  that  the  tired  beasts  were  frequently  obliged  to  be 
killed  and  skinned  ;  but  that  he  could  never  persuade  the  Gauchos 
to  eat  of  them,  and  every  evening  a  fresh  beast  was  slaughtered  for 
their  suppers  !  The  view  of  the  Rio  Negro  from  the  Sierra  was 
more  picturesque  than  any  other  which  I  saw  in  this  province. 
The  river,  broad,  deep  and  rapid,  wound  at  the  foot  of  a 
rocky  precipitous  cliff:  a  belt  of  wood  followed  its  course, 
and  the  horizon  terminated  in  the  distant  undulations  of  the 
turf-plain. 

When  in  this  neighbourhood,  I  several  times  heard  of  the 
Sierra  de  las  Cuentas :  a  hill  distant  many  miles  to  the  north- 
ward. The  name  signifies  hill  of  beads.  I  was  assured  that 
vast  numbers  of  little  round  stones,  of  various  colours,  each 
with  a  small  cylindrical  hole,  are  found  there.  Formerly  the 
Indians  used  to  collect  them,  for  the  purpose  of  making  neck- 
laces and  bracelets — a  taste,  1  may  observe,  which  is  common  to 
all  savage  nations,  as  well  as  to  the  most  polished.  I  did  not 
know  what  to  understand  from  this  story,  but  upon  mentioning 
it  at  the  .Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  he  told  me 
that  he  recollected  finding  on  the  south-eastern  coast  of  Africa, 
about  one  hundred  miles  to  the  eastward  of  St.  John's  river, 
some  quartz  crystals  with  their  edges  blunted  from  attrition,  and 
mixed  with  gravel  on  the  sea-beach.  Each  crystal  was  about 
five  lines  in  diameter,  and  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
length.  Many  of  them  had  a  small  canal  extending  from  one 
extremity  to  the  other,  perfectly  cylindrical,  and  of  a  size  that 
readily  admitted  a  coarse  thread  or  a  piece  of  fine  catgut.  Their 
colour  was  red  or  dull  white.  The  natives  were  acquainted 
with  this  structure  in  crystals.  I  have  mentioned  these  circum- 
stances because,  although  no  crystallized  body  is  at  present 
known  to  assume  this  form,  it  may  lead  some  future  traveller  to 
investigate  the  real  nature  of  such  stones. 

While  staying  at  this  estancia,  I  was  amused  with  what  I  saw 
and  heard  of  the  shepherd-dogs  of  the  country.*  When  riding, 

*  M.  A.  d'Orbigny  has  given  nearly  a  similar  account  of  these  dogs, 
lorn.  i.  p.  1 75. 


150  BAND  A   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vin. 

it  is  a  common  thing  to  meet  a  large  flock  of  sheep  guarded  by 
one  or  two  dogs,  at  the  distance  of  some  miles  from  any  house 
or  man.  I  often  wondered  how  so  firm  a  friendship  had  been 
established.  The  method  of  education  consists  in  separating 
the'puppy,  while  very  young,  from  the  bitch,  and  in  accustom- 
ing it  to  its  future  companions.  An  ewe  is  held  three  or  four 
times  a  day  for  the  little  thing  to  suck,  and  a  nest  of  wool  is 
made  for  it  in  the  sheep-pen  ;  at  no  time  is  it  allowed  to  associate 
with  other  dogs,  or  with  the  children  of  the  family.  The  puppy 
is,  moreover,  generally  castrated ;  so  that,  when  grown  up,  it 
can  scarcely  have  any  feelings  in  common  with  the  rest  of  its 
kind.  From  this  education  it  has  no  wish  to  leave  the  flock,  and 
just  as  another  dog  will  defend  its  master,  man,  so  will  these 
the  sheep.  It  is  amusing  to  observe,  when  approaching  a  flock, 
how  the  dog  immediately  advances  barking,  and  the  sheep  all 
close  in  his  rear,  as  if  round  the  oldest  ram.  These  dogs  are 
also  easily  taught  to  bring  home  the  flock,  at  a  certain  hour  in 
the  evening.  Their  most  troublesome  fault,  when  young,  is 
their  desire  of  playing  with  the  sheep ;  for  in  their  sport  they 
sometimes  gallop  their  poor  subjects  most  unmercifully. 

The  shepherd -dog  comes  to  the  house  every  day  for  some 
moat,  and  as  soon  as  it  is  given  him,  he  skulks  away  as  ii 
ashamed  of  himself.  On  these  occasions  the  house-dogs  are 
very  tyrannical,  and  the  least  of  them  will  attack  and  pursue  the 
stranger.  The  minute,  however,  the  latter  has  reached  the 
flock,  he  turns  round  and  begins  to  bark,  and  then  all  the  house- 
dogs take  very  quickly  to  their  heels.  In  a  similar  manner  a 
whole  pack  of  the  hungry  wild  dogs  will  scarcely  ever  (and  I 
was  told  by  some  never)  venture  to  attack  a  flock  guarded  by 
even  one  of  these  faithful  shepherds.  The  whole  account  ap- 
pears to  me  a  curious  instance  of  the  pliability  of  the  affections 
in  the  dog ;  and  yet,  whether  wild  or  however  educated,  he  has  a 
feeling  of  respect  or  fear  for  those  that  are  fulfilling  their  in- 
stinct of  association.  For  we  can  understand  on  no  principle 
the  wild  dogs  being  driven  away  by  the  single  one  with  its  flock, 
except  that  they  consider,  from  some  confused  notion,  that  the 
one  thus  associated  gains  power,  as  if  in  company  with  its  own 
kind.  F.  Cuvier  has  observed,  that  all  animals  that  readily 
enter  into  domestication,  consider  man  as  a  member  of  their 


1833.]  BEEAKING-IN   WILD   HORSES.  151 

own  society,  and  thus  fulfil  their  instinct  of  association.  In  the 
above  case  the  shepherd-dog  ranks  the  sheep  as  its  fellow- 
brethren,  and  thus  gains  confidence ;  and  the  wild  dogs,  though 
knowing  that  the  individual  sheep  are  not  dogs,  but  are  good  to 
eat,  yet  partly  consent  to  this  view  when  seeing  them  in  a  flock 
with  a  shepherd-dog  at  their  head. 

One  evening  a  "  domidor"  (a  subduer  of  horses)  came  for  the 
purpose  of  brea-king-in  some  colts.  I  will  describe  the  prepara- 
tory steps,  for  I  believe  they  have  not  been  mentioned  by  other 
travellers.  A  troop  of  wild  young  horses  is  driven  into  the 
corral,  or  large  enclosure  of  stakes,  and  the  door  is  shut.  We 
will  suppose  that  one  man  alone  has  to  catch  and  mount  a  horse, 
which  as  yet  had  never  felt  bridle  or  saddle.  I  conceive,  except 
by  a  Gaucho,  such  a  feat  would  be  utterly  impracticable.  The 
Gaucho  picks  out  a  full-grown  colt;  and  as  the  beast  rushes 
round  the  circus,  he  throws  his  lazo  so  as  to  catch  both  the  front 
legs.  Instantly  the  horse  rolls  over  with  a  heavy  shock,  and 
whilst  struggling  on  the  ground,  the  Gaucho,  holding  the  lazo 
tight,  makes  a  circle,  so  as  to  catch  one  of  the  hind  legs,  just 
beneath  the  fetlock,  and  draws  it  close  to  the  two  front  legs  : 
he  then  hitches  the  lazo,  so  that  the  three  are  bound  together. 
Then  sitting  on  the  horse's  neck,  he  fixes  a  strong  bridle,  with- 
out a  bit,  to  the  lower  jaw :  this  he  does  by  passing  a  narrow 
thong  through  the  eye-holes  at  the  end  of  the  reins,  and  several 
times  round  both  jaw  and  tongue..  The  two  front  legs  are  now 
tied  closely  together  with  a  strong  leathern  thong,  fastened  by 
a  slip-knot.  The  lazo,  which  bound  the  three  together,  being 
then  loosed,  the  horse  rises  with  difficulty.  The  Gaucho  now 
holding  fast  the  bridle  fixed  to  the  lower  jaw,  leads  the  horse 
outside  the  corral.  If  a  second  man  is  present  (otherwise  the 
trouble  is  much  greater)  he  holds  the  animal's  head,  whilst  the 
first  puts  on  the  horsecloths  and  saddle,  and  girths  the  whole  to- 
gether. During  this  operation,  the  horse,  from  dread  and  asto- 
nishment at  thus  being  bound  round  the  waist,  throws  himself 
over  and  over  again  on  the  ground,  and,  till  beaten,  is  unwilling 
to  rise.  At  last,  when  the  saddling  is  finished,  the  poor  animal 
can  hardly  breathe  from  fear,  and  is  white  with  foam  and  sweat. 
The  man  now  prepares  to  mount  by  pressing  heavily  on  the 
stirrup,  so  that  the  horse  may  not  lose  its  balance ;  and  at  the 


152  BAND  A  ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  TIII. 

moment  that  he  throws  his  leg  over  the  animal's  back,  he  pulls 
the  slip-knot  binding  the  front  legs,  and  the  beast  is  free.  Some 
"  domidors"  pull  the  knot  while  the  animal  is  lying  on  the 
ground,  and,  standing  over  the  saddle,  allow  him  to  rise  beneath 
them.  The  horse,  wild  with  dread,  gives  a  few  most  violent 
bounds,  and  then  starts  off  at  full  gallop :  when  quite  exhausted, 
the  man,  by  patience,  brings  him  back  to  the  corral,  where, 
reeking  hot  and  scarcely  alive,  the  poor  beast  is  let  free.  Those 
animals  which  will  not  gallop  away,  but  obstinately  throw  them- 
selves on  the  ground,  are  by  far  the  most  troublesome.  This 
process  is  tremendously  severe,  but  in  two  or  three  trials  the 
horse  is  tamed.  It  is  not,  however,  for  some  weeks  that  the 
animal  is  ridden  with  the  iron  bit  and  solid  ring,  for  it  must 
learn  to  associate  the  will  of  its  rider  with  the  feel  of  the  rein, 
before  the  most  powerful  bridle  can  be  of  any  service. 

Animals  are  so  abundant  in  these  countries,  that  humanity  and 
self-interest  are  not  closely  united  ;  therefore  I  fear  it  is  that  the 
former  is  here  scarcely  known.  One  day,  riding  in  the  Pampas 
with  a  very  respectable  "  Estanciero,"  my  horse,  being  tired, 
lagged  behind.  The  man  often  shouted  to  me  to  spur  him. 
When  I  remonstrated  that  it  was  a  pity,  for  the  horse  was  quite 
exhausted,  he  cried  out,  "  Why  not  ? — never  mind— spur  him 
—it  is  my  horse."  I  had  then  some  difficulty  in  making  him 
comprehend  that  it  was  for  the  horse's  sake,  and  not  on  his  ac- 
count, that  I  did  not  choose  to  use  my  spurs.  He"  exclaimed, 
with  a  look  of  great  surprise,  "  Ah,  Don  Carlos,  que  cosa  !"  It 
was  clear  that  such  an  idea  had  never  before  entered  his  head. 

The  Gauchos  are  well  known  to  be  perfect  riders.  The  idea 
of  being  thrown,  let  the  horse  do  what  it  likes,  never  enters  their 
head.  Their  criterion  of  a  good  rider  is,  a  man  who  can  manage 
an  untamed  colt,  or  who,  if  his  horse  falls,  alights  on  his  own 
feet,  or  can  perform  other  such  exploits.  I  have  heard  of  a  man 
betting  that  he  would  throw  his  horse  down  twenty  times,  and 
that  nineteen  times  he  would  not  fall  himself.  I  recollect  seeing 
a  Gaucho  riding  a  very  stubborn  horse,  which  three  times  suc- 
cessively reared  so  high  as  to  fall  backwards  with  great  violence. 
The  man  judged  with  uncommon  coolness  the  proper  moment 
for  slipping  off,  not  an  instant  before  or  after  the  right  time ; 
and  as  soon  as  the  horse  got  up,  the  man  jumped  on  his  back,  and 


HORSEMANSHIP   IN   CHILE.  153 

at  last  they  started  at  a  gallop.  The  Gaucho  never  appears  to 
exert  any  muscular  force.  I  was  one  day  watching  a  good  rider, 
as  we  were  galloping  along  at  a  rapid  pace,  and  thought  to  my- 
self, "  surely  if  the  horse  starts,  you  appear  so  careless  on  your 
seat,  you  must  fall."  At  this  moment,  a  male  ostrich  sprang 
from  its  nest  right  beneath  the  horse's  nose  :  the  young  colt 
bounded  on  one  side  like  a  stag ;  but  as  for  the  man,  all  that 
could  be  said  was,  that  he  started  and  took  fright  with  his 
horse. 

In  Chile  and  Peru  more  pains  are  taken  with  the  mouth  of  the 
horse  than  in  La  Plata,  and  this  is  evidently  a  consequence  of 
the  more  intricate  nature  of  the  country.  In  Chile  a  horse  is 
not  considered  perfectly  broken,  till  he  can  be  brought  up  stand- 
ing, in  the  midst  of  his  full  speed,  on  any  particular  spot, — for 
instance,  on  a  cloak  thrown  on  the  ground  :  or,  again,  he  will 
charge  a  wall,  and  rearing,  scrape  the  surface  with  his  hoofs. 
I  have  seen  an  animal  bounding  with  spirit,  yet  merely  reined 
by  a  fore-finger  and  thumb,  taken  at  full  gallop  across  a  court- 
yard, and  then  made  to  wheel  round  the  post  of  a  veranda  with 
great  speed,  but  at  so  equal  a  distance,  that  the  rider,  with  out- 
stretched arm,  all  the  while  kept  one  finger  rubbing  the  post. 
Then  making  a  demi-volte  in  the  air,  with  the  other  arm  out- 
stretched in  a  like  manner,  he  wheeled  round,  with  astonishing 
force,  in  an  opposite  direction. 

Such  a  horse  is  well  broken  ;  and  although  this  at  first  may 
appear  useless,  it  is  far  otherwise.  It  is  only  carrying  that 
which  is  daily  necessary  into  perfection.  When  a  bullock  is 
checked  and  caught  by  the  lazo,  it  will  sometimes  gallop  round 
and  round  in  a  circle,  and  the  horse  being  alarmed  at  the  great 
strain,  if  not  well  broken,  will  not  readily  turn  like  the  pivot 
of  a  wheel.  In  consequence  many  men  have  been  killed ;  for 
if  the  lazo  once  takes  a  twist  round  a  man's  body,  it  will  in- 
stantly, from  the  power  of  the  two  opposed  animals,  almost  cut 
him  in  twain.  On  the  same  principle  the  races  are  managed  ; 
the  course  is  only  two  or  three  hundred  yards  long,  the  wish 
being  to  have  horses  that  can  make  a  rapid  dash.  The  race- 
horses are  trained  not  only  to  stand  with  their  hoofs  touching  a 
line,  but  to  draw  all  four  feet  together,  so  as  at  the  first  spring 
to  bring  into  play  the  full  action  of  the  hind-quarters.  In  Chile 


154  BANDA   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vin. 

I  was  told  an  anecdote,  which  I  believe  was  true  ;  and  it  offers 
a  good  illustration  of  the  use  of  a  well-broken  animal.  A  re- 
spectable man  riding  one  day  met  two  others,  one  of  whom  was 
mounted  on  a  horse,  which  he  knew  to  have  been  stolen  from 
himself.  He  challenged  them ;  they  answered  him  by  drawing 
their  sabres  and  giving  chace.  The  man,  on  his  good  and  fleet 
beast,  kept  just  ahead  :  as  he  passed  a  thick  bush  he  wheeled 
round  it,  and  brought  up  his  horse  to  a  dead  check.  The  pur- 
suers were  obliged  to  shoot  on  one  side  and  ahead.  Then  in- 
stantly dashing  on,  right  behind  them,  he  buried  his  knife  in  the 
back  of  one,  wounded  the  other,  recovered  his  horse  from  the 
dying  robber,  and  rode  home.  For  these  feats  of  horseman  hip 
two  things  are  necessary :  a  most  severe  bit,  like  the  Mameluke, 
the  power  of  which,  though  seldom  used,  the  horse  knows  full 
well ;  and  large  blunt  spurs,  that  can  be  applied  either  as  a  mere 
touch,  or  as  an  instrument  of  extreme  pain.  I  conceive  that 
with  English  spurs,  the  slightest  touch  of  which  pricks  the  skin, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  break  in  a  horse  after  the  South  Ame- 
rican fashion. 

At  an  estancia  near  Las  Vacas  large  numbers  of  mares  are 
weekly  slaughtered  for  the  sake  of  their  hides,  although  worth 
only  five  paper  dollars,  or  about  half-a-crown  apiece.  It  seems 
at  first  strange  that  it  can  answer  to  kill  mares  for  such  a  trifle ; 
but  as  it  is  thought  ridiculous  in  this  country  ever  to  break  in  or 
ride  a  mare,  they  are  of  no  value  except  for  breeding.  The  only 
thing  for  which  I  ever  saw  mares  used,  was  to  tread  out  wheat 
from  the  ear  ;  for  which  purpose  they  were  driven  round  a  cir- 
cular enclosure,  where  the  wheat-sheaves  were  strewed.  The 
man  employed  for  slaughtering  the  mares  happened  to  be  cele- 
brated for  his  dexterity  with  the  lazo.  Standing  at  the  distance  of 
twelve  yards  from  the  mouth  of  the  corral,  he  has  laid  a  wager 
that  he  would  catch  by  the  legs  every  animal,  without  missing 
one,  as  it  rushed  past  him.  There  was  another  man  who  said  he 
would  enter  the  corral  on  foot,  catch  a  mare,  fasten  her  front  legs 
together,  drive  her  out,  throw  her  down,  kill,  skin,  and  stake  the 
hide  for  drying  (which  latter  is  a  tedious  job)  ;  and  he  engaged 
that  he  would  perform  this  whole  operation  on  twenty-two  ani- 
mals in  one  day.  Or  he  would  kill  and  take  the  skin  off  fifty  in 
the  same  time.  This  would  have  been  a  prodigious  task,  for  it  is 


1833.]  REMAINS   OF  THE   TOXODON.  155 

considered  a  good  day's  work  to  skin  and  stake  the  hides  of  fifteen 
or  sixteen  animals. 

November  26th. — I  set  out  on  my  return  in  a  direct  line  for 
Monte  Video.  Plaving  heard  of  some  giant's  bones  at  a  neigh- 
bouring farm-house  on  the  Sarandis,  a  small  stream  entering  the 
Rio  Negro,  I  rode  there  accompanied  by  my  host,  and  purchased 
for  the  value  of  eighteen  pence  the  head  of  the  Toxodon.*  When 
found  it  was  quite  perfect ;  but  the  boys  knocked  out  some  of  the 
teeth  with  stones,  and  then  set  up  the  head  as  a  mark  to  throw  at. 
By  a  most  fortunate  chance  I  found  a  perfect  tooth,  which  exactly 
fitted  one  of  the  sockets  in  this  skull,  embedded  by  itself  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rio  Tercero,  at  the  distance  of  about  180  miles 
from  this  place.  I  found  remains  of  this  extraordinary  animal 
at  two  other  places,  so  that  it  must  formerly  have  been  commqn. 
I  found  here,  also,  some  large  portions  of  the  armour  of  a  gigantic 
armadillo-like  animal,  and  part  of  the  great  head  of  a  Mylodon. 
The  bones  of  this  head  are  so  fresh,  that  they  contain,  accord- 
ing to  the  analysis  by  Mr.  T.  Reeks,  seven  per  cent,  of  animal 
matter ;  and  when  placed  in  a  spirit-lamp,  they  burn  with  a  small 
fiame.  The  number  of  the  remains  embedded  in  the  grand 
estuary  deposit  which  forms  the  Pampas  and  covers  the  granitic 
rocks  of  Banda  Oriental,  must  be  extraordinarily  great.  I  believe 
a  straight  line  drawn  in  any  direction  through  the  Pampas  would 
cut  through  some  skeleton  or  bones.  Besides  those  which  I 
found  during  my  short  excursions,  I  heard  of  many  others,  and 
the  origin  of  such  names  as  "  the  stream  of  the  animal,"  "  the 
hill  of  the  giant,"  is  obvious.  At  other  times  I  heard  of  the 
marvellous  property  of  certain  rivers,  which  had  the  power  of 
changing  small  bones  into  large ;  or,  as  some  maintained,  the 
bones  themselves  grew.  As  far  as  I  am  aware,  not  one  of  these 
animals  perished,  as  was  formerly  supposed,  in  the  marshes  or 
muddy  river-beds  of  the  present  land,  but  their  bones  have  been 
exposed  by  the  streams  intersecting  the  subaqueous  deposit  in 
which  they  were  originally  embedded.  We  may  conclude  that 
the  whole  area  of  the  Pampas  is  one  wide  sepulchre  of  these 
extinct  gigantic  quadrupeds. 

*  I  must  express  my  obligation  to  Mr.  Keane,  at  whose  house  I  was  staying 
on  the  Berquelo,  and  to  Mr.  Lumb  at  Buenos  Ayres,  for  without  their 
assistance  these  valuable  remains  would  never  have  reached  England. 


156  BAND  A   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  Tin. 

By  the  middle  of  the  day,  on  the  28th,  we  arrived  at  Monte 
Video,  having  been  two  days  and  a  half  on  the  road.  The 
country  for  the  whole  way  was  of  a  very  uniform  character, 
some  parts  being  rather  more  rocky  and  hilly  than  near 
the  Plata.  Not  far  from  Monte  Video  we  passed  through 
the  village  of  Las  Pietras.  so  named  from  some  large  rounded 
masses  of  syenite.  Its  appearance  was  rather  pretty.  In  this 
country  a  few  fig-trees  round  a  group  of  houses,  and  a  site  ele- 
vated a  hundred  feet  above  the  general  level,  ought  always  to  be 
called  picturesque. 

During  the  last  six  months  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
a  little  of  the  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  provinces. 
Tbe  Gauchos,  or  countrymen,  are  very  superior  to  those  who 
reside  in  the  towns.  The  Gaucho  is  invariably  most  obliging, 
polite,  and  hospitable  :  I  did  not  meet  with  even  one  instance  of 
rudeness  or  inhospitality.  He  is  modest,  both  respecting  himself 
and  country,  but  at  the  same  time  a  spirited,  bold  fellow.  On 
the  other  hand,  many  robberies  are  committed,  and  there  is  much 
bloodshed  :  the  habit  of  constantly  wearing  the  knife  is  the  chief 
cause  of  the  latter.  It  is  lamentable  to  hear  how  many  lives  are 
lost  in  trifling  quarrels.  In  fighting,  each  party  tries  to  mark 
the  face  of  his  adversary  by  slashing  his  nose  or  eyes  ;  as  is  often 
attested  by  deep  and  horrid-looking  scars.  Robberies  are  a 
natural  consequence  of  universal  gambling,  much  drinking,  and 
extreme  indolence.  At  Mercedes  I  asked  two  men  why  they 
did  not  work.  One  gravely  said  the  days  were  too  long ;  the 
other  that  he  was  too  poor.  The  number  of  horses  and  the  pro- 
fusion of  food  are  the  destruction  of  all  industry.  Moreover, 
there  are  so  many  feast-days ;  and  again,  nothing  can  succeed 
without  it  be  begun  when  the  moon  is  on  the  increase ;  so  that 
half  the  month  is  lost  from  these  two  causes. 

Police  and  justice  are  quite  inefficient.  If  a  man  who  is  poor 
commits  murder  and  is  taken,  he  will  be  imprisoned,  and  perhaps 
even  shot ;  but  if  he  is  rich  and  has  friends,  he  may  rely  on  it  no 
very  severe  consequence  will  ensue.  It  is  curious  that  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants  of  the  country  invariably  assist  a  murderer 
to  escape  :  they  seem  to  think  that  the  individual  sins  against  the 
government,  and  not  against  the  people.  A  traveller  lias  no  pro- 


1833.]  STATE   OF  SOCIETY.  157 

tection  besides  his  fire-arms ;  and  the  constant  habit  of  carrying 
thorn  is  the  main  check  to  more  frequent  robberies. 

The  character  of  the  higher  and  more  educated  classes  who 
reside  in  the  towns,  partakes,  but  perhaps  in  a  lesser  degree,  of  the 
good  parts  of  the  Gaucho,  but  is,  I  fear,  stained  by  many  vices  of 
which  he  is  free.  Sensuality,  mockery  of  all  religion,  and  the 
grossest  corruption,  are  far  from  uncommon.  Nearly  every 
public  officer  can  be  bribed.  The  head  man  in  the  post-office 
sold  forged  government  franks.  The  governor  and  prime  minister 
openly  combined  to  plunder  the  state.  Justice,  where  gold  came 
into  play,  was  hardly  expected  by  any  one.  I  knew  an  English- 
man, who  went  to  the  Chief  Justice  (he  told  me,  that  not  then 
understanding  the  ways  of  the  place,  he  trembled  as  he  entered 
the  room),  and  said,  "  Sir,  I  have  come  to  offer  you  two  hundred 
(paper)  dollars  (value  about  five  pounds  sterling)  if  you  will  arrest 
before  a  certain  time  a  man  who  has  cheated  me.  I  know  it  is 
against  the  law,  but  my  lawyer  (naming  him)  recommended  me  to 
take  this  step."  The  Chief  Justice  smiled  acquiescence,  thanked 
him,  and  the  man  before  night  was  safe  in  prison.  With  this  entire 
want  of  principle  in  many  of  the  leading  men,  with  the  country 
full  of  ill-paid  turbulent  officers,  the  people  yet  hope  that  a  de- 
mocratic form  of  government  can  succeed  ! 

On  first  entering  society  in  these  countries,  two  or  three 
features  strike  one  as  particularly  remarkable.  The  polite  and 
dignified  manners  pervading  every  rank  of  life,  the  excellent 
taste  displayed  by  the  women  in  their  dresses,  and  the  equality 
amongst  all  ranks.  At  the  Rio  Colorado  some  men  who  kept 
the  humblest  shops  used  to  dine  with  General  Rosas.  A  son  of  a 
majpr  at  Bahia  Blanca  gained  his  livelihood  by  making  paper 
cigars,  and  he  wished  to  accompany  me,  as  guide  or  servant,  to 
Buenos  Ayres,  but  his  father  objected  on  the  score  of  the  danger 
alone.  Many  officers  in  the  army  can  neither  read  nor  write,  yet 
all  meet  in  society  as  equals.  In  Entre  Rios,  the  Sala  consisted 
of  only  six  representatives.  One  of  them  kept  a  common  shop, 
and  evidently  was  not  degraded  by  the  office.  All  this  is  what 
would  be  expected  in  a  new  country  ;  nevertheless  the  absence  of 
gentlemen  by  profession  appears  to  an  Englishman  something 
strange. 

When  speaking  of  these  countries,  the  manner  in  which  they 


158  EIO   PLATA.  [CHAP.  vm. 

have  been  brought  up  by  their  unnatural  parent,  Spain,  should 
always  be  borne  in  mind.  On  the  whole,  perhaps,  more  credit 
is  due  for  what  has  been  done,  than  blame  for  that  which  may  be 
deficient.  It  is  impossible  to  doubt  but  that  the  extreme  liberalism 
of  these  countries  must  ultimately  lead  to  good  results.  The  very 
general  toleration  of  foreign  religions,  the  regard  paid  to  the 
means  of  education,  the  freedom  of  the  press,  the  facilities 
offered  to  all  foreigners,  and  especially,  as  I  am  bound  to  add,  to 
every  one  professing  the  humblest  pretensions  to  science,  should 
be  recollected  with  gratitude  by  those  who  have  visited  Spanish 
South  America. 

December  6th.  —  The  Beagle  sailed  from  the  Rio  Plata, 
never  again  to  enter  its  muddy  stream.  Our  course  was  directed 
to  Port  Desire,  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia.  Before  proceeding 
any  further,  I  will  here  put  together  a  few  observations  made  at 
sea. 

Several  times  when  the  ship  has  been  some  miles  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Plata,  and  at  other  times  when  off  the  shores  of  Northern 
Patagonia,  we  have  been  surrounded  by  insects.  One  evening, 
when  we  were  about  ten  miles  from  the  Bay  of  San  Bias,  vast 
numbers  of  butterflies,  in  bands  or  flocks  of  countless  myriads, 
extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  range.  Even  by  the  aid  of  a 
telescope  it  was  not  possible  to  see  a  space  free  from  butterflies. 
The  seamen  cried  out  "  it  was  snowing  butterflies,"  and  such  in 
fact  was  the  appearance.  More  species  than  one  were  present, 
but  the  main  part  belonged  to  a  kind  very  similar  to,  but  not 
identical  with,  the  common  English  Colias  edusa.  Some  moths 
and  hymenoptera  accompanied  the  butterflies  ;  and  a  fine  beetle 
(Calosoma)  flew  on  board.  Other  instances  are  known  of  this 
beetle  having  been  caught  far  out  at  sea ;  and  this  is  the  more 
remarkable,  as  the  greater  number  of  the  Carabidae  seldom  01 
never  take  wing.  The  day  had  been  fine  and  calm,  and  the  one 
previous  to  it  equally  so,  with  light  and  variable  airs.  Hence 
we  cannot  suppose  that  the  insects  were  blown  off  the  land,  but 
we  must  conclude  that  they  voluntarily  took  flight.  The  great 
bands  of  the  Colias  seem  at  first  to  afford  an  instance  like  those 
on  record  of  the  migrations  of  another  butterfly,  Vanessa  cardui  ;* 

*  Lyell's  Principles  of  Geology,  vol.  iii.  p.  63. 


1833.]  FLOCKS   OF   BUTTERFLIES.  159 

but  the  presence  of  other  insects  makes  the  case  distinct,  and  even 
less  intelligible.  Before  sunset  a  strong  breeze  sprung  up  from 
the  north,  and  this  must  have  caused  tens  of  thousands  of  the 
butterflies  and  other  insects  to  have  perished. 

On  another  occasion,  when  seventeen  miles  off  Cape  Corrientes, 
I  had  a  net  overboard  to  catch  pelagic  animals.  Upon  drawing 
it  up,  to  my  surprise  I  found  a  considerable  number  of  beetles  in 
it,  and  although  in  the  open  sea,  they  did  not  appear  much  in- 
jured by  the  salt  water.  I  lost  some  of  the  specimens,  but  those 
which  I  preserved  belonged  to  the  genera  Colymbetes,  Hydropo- 
rus,  Hydrobius  (two  species),  Notaphus,  Cynucus,  Adimonia,  and 
Scarabaeus.  At  first  I  thought  that  these  insects  had  been  blown 
from  the  shore ;  but  upon  reflecting  that  out  of  the  eight  species 
four  were  aquatic,  and  two  others  partly  so  in  their  habits,  it  ap- 
peared to  me  most  probable  that  they  were  floated  into  the  sea 
by  a  small  stream  which  drains  a  lake  near  Cape  Corrientes.  On 
any  supposition  it  is  an  interesting  circumstance  to  find  live  insects 
swimming  in  the  open  ocean  seventeen  miles  from  the  nearest 
point  of  land.  There  are  several  accounts  of  insects  having  been 
blown  off  the  Patagonian  shore.  Captain  Cook  observed  it,  as 
did  more  lately  Captain  King  in  the  Adventure.  The  cause 
probably  is  due  to  the  want  of  shelter,  both  of  trees  and  hills,  so 
that  an  insect  on  the  wing,  with  an  off-shore  breeze,  would  be 
very  apt  to  be  blown  out  to  sea.  The  most  remarkable  instance 
I  have  known  of  an  insect  being  caught  far  from  the  land,  was 
that  of  a  large  grasshopper  (Acrydium),  which  flew  on  board, 
when  the  Beagle  was  to  windward  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands, 
and  when  the  nearest  point  of  land,  not  directly  opposed  to  the 
trade-wind,  was  Cape  Blanco  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  370  miles 
distant.* 

On  several  occasions,  when  the  Beagle  has  been  within  the 
mouth  of  the  Plata,  the  rigging  has  been  coated  with  the  web  of 
the  Gossamer  Spider.  One  day  (November  1st,  1832)  I  paid 
particular  attention  to  this  subject.  1"he  weather  had  been  fine 
and  clear,  and  in  the  morning  the  air  was  full  of  patches  of  the 
flocculent  web,  as  on  an  autumnal  day  in  England.  The  ship 

*  The  flies  which  frequently  accompany  a  ship  for  some  days  on  its 
passage  from  harbour  to  harbour,  wandering  from  the  vessel,  are  soon  lost, 
and  all  disappear. 


160  RIO  PLATA.  [CHAP.  Tin. 

was  sixty  miles  distant  from  the  land,  in  the  direction  of  a  steady 
though  light  breeze.  Vast  numbers  of  a  small  spider,  about  one- 
tenth  of  aa  inch  in  length,  and  of  a  dusky  red  colour,  were  attached 
to  the  webs.  There  must  have  been,  I  should  suppose,  some 
thousands  on  the  ship.  The  little  spider,  when  first  coming  in 
contact  with  the  rigging,  was  always  seated  on  a  single  thread, 
and  not  on  the  flocculent  mass.  This  latter  seems  merely  to  be 
produced  by  the  entanglement  of  the  single  threads.  The  spiders 
were  all  of  one  species,  but  of  both  sexes,  together  with  young 
ones.  These  latter  were  distinguished  by  their  smaller  size  and 
more  dusky  colour.  I  will  not  give  the  description  of  this  spider, 
but  merely  state  that  it  does  not  appear  to  me  to  be  included  in 
any  of  Latreille's  genera.  The  little  aeronaut  as  soon  as  it  arrived 
on  board  was  very  active,  running  about,  sometimes  letting  itself 
fall,  and  then  reascending  the  same  thread  ;  sometimes  employing 
itself  in  making  a  small  and  very  irregular  mesh  in  the  corners 
between  the  ropes.  It  could  run  with  facility  on  the  surface  of 
water.  When  disturbed  it  lifted  up  its  front  legs,  in  the  attitude 
of  attention.  On  its  first  arrival  it  appeared  very  thirsty,  and 
with  exserted  maxillae  drank  eagerly  of  drops  of  water;  this  same 
circumstance  has  been  observed  by  Strack  :  may  it  not  be  in  con- 
sequence of  the  little  insect  having  passed  through  a  dry  and  rare- 
fied atmosphere  ?  Its  stock  of  web  seemed  inexhaustible.  While 
watching  some  that  were  suspended  by  a  single  thread,  I  several 
times  observed  that  the  slightest  breath  of  air  bore  them  away 
out  of  sight,  in  a  horizontal  line.  On  another  occasion  (25th) 
under  similar  circumstances,  I  repeatedly  observed  the  same  kind 
of  small  spider,  either  when  placed  or  having  crawled  on  some 
little  eminence,  elevate  its  abdomen,  send  forth  a  thread,  and  then 
sail  away  horizontally,  but  with  a  rapidity  which  was  quite  un- 
accountable. I  thought  I  could  perceive  that  the  spider,  before 
performing  the  above  preparatory  steps,  connected  its  legs  toge- 
ther with  the  most  delicate  threads,  but  I  am  not  sure  whether 
this  observation  was  correct. 

One  day,  at  St.  Ft?,  I  had  a  better  opportunity  of  observing 
borne  similar  facts.  A  spider  which  was  about  three-tenths  of 
an  inch  in  length,  and  which  in  its  general  appearance  resembled 
a  Citigrade  (therefore  quite  different  from  the  gossamer),  while 
standing  on  the  summit  of  a  post,  darted  forth  four  or  five  threads 


1833.]  AERONAUT  SPIDERS.  161 

from  its  spinners.  These,  glittering  in  the  sunshine,  might  be 
compared  to  diverging  rays  of  light ;  they  were  not,  however, 
straight,  but  in  undulations  like  films  of  silk  blown  by  the  wind. 
They  were  more  than  a  yard  in  length,  and  diverged  in  an  ascend- 
ing direction  from  the  orifices.  The  spider  then  suddenly  let  go 
its  hold  of  the  post,  and  was  quickly  borne  out  of  sight.  The 
day  was  hot  and  apparently  quite  calm ;  yet  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  atmosphere  can  never  be  so  tranquil  as  not  to  affect 
a  vane  so  delicate  as  the  thread  of  a  spider's  web.  If  during  a 
warm  day  we  look  either  at  the  shadow  of  any  object  cast  on  a 
bank,  or  over  a  level  plain  at  a  distant  landmark,  the  effect  of  an 
ascending  current  of  heated  air  is  almost  always  evident :  such 
upward  currents,  it  has  been  remarked,  are  also  shown  by  the 
ascent  of  soap-bubbles,  which  will  not  rise  in  an  in-doors  room. 
Hence  I  think  there  is  not  much  difficulty  in  understanding  the 
ascent  of  the  fine  lines  projected  from  a  spider's  spinners,  and 
afterwards  of  the  spider  itself;  the  divergence  of  the  lines  has 
been  attempted  to  be  explained,  I  believe  by  Mr.  Murray,  by 
their  similar  electrical  condition.  The  circumstance  of  spiders 
of  the  same  species,  but  of  different  sexes  and  ages,  being  found 
on  several  occasions  at  the  distance  of  many  leagues  from  the 
land,  attached  in  vast  numbers  to  the  lines,  renders  it  probable 
that  the  habit  of  sailing  through  the  air  is  as  characteristic  of 
this  tribe,  as  that  of  diving  is  of  the  Argyroneta.  We  may  then 
reject  Latreille's  supposition,  that  the  gossamer  owes  its  origin 
indifferently  to  the  young  of  several  genera  of  spiders  :  although, 
as  we  have  seen,  the  young  of  other  spiders  do  possess  the  power 
of  performing  aerial  voyages.* 

During  our  different  passages  south  of  the  Plata,  I  often  towed 
astern  a  net  made  of  bunting,  and  thus  caught  many  curious  ani- 
mals. Of  Crustacea  there  were  many  strange  and  undescribed 
genera.  One,  which  in  some  respects  is  allied  to  the  Notopods 
(or  those  crabs  which  have  their  posterior  legs  placed  almost  on 
their  backs,  for  the  purpose  of  adhering  to  the  under  side  of 
rocks),  is  very  remarkable  from  the  structure  of  its  hind  pair  of 
legs.  The  penultimate  joint,  instead  of  terminating  in  a  simple 
claw,  ends  in  three  bristle-like  appendages  of  dissimilar  lengths — 

*  Mr.  Blackball,  in  his  Researches  in  Zoology,  has  many  excellent  ob- 
servations on  the  habits  of  spiders. 


1C2  ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  [CHAP.  TIII. 

the  longest  equalling  that  of  the  entire  leg.  These  claws  are 
very  thin,  and  are  serrated  with  the  finest  teeth,  directed  back- 
wards :  their  curved  extremities  are  flattened,  and  on  this  part 
five  most  minute  cups  are  placed  which  seem  to  act  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  suckers  on  the  arms  of  the  cuttle-fish.  As  the 
animal  lives  in  the  open  sea,  and  probably  wants  a  place  of  rest, 
I  suppose  this  beautiful  and  most  anomalous  structure  is  adapted 
to  take  hold  of  floating  marine  animals. 

In  deep  water,  far  from  the  land,  the  number  of  living  crea- 
tures is  extremely  small :  south  of  the  latitude  35°,  I  never  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  anything  besides  some  beroe,  and  a  few  species 
of  minute  entomostracous  Crustacea.  In  shoaler  water,  at  the 
distance  of  a  few  miles  from  the  coast,  very  many  kinds  of  crus- 
tacea  and  some  other  animals  are  numerous,  but  only  during  the 
night.  Between  latitudes  56°  and  57°  south  of  Cape  Horn,  the 
net  was  put  astern  several  times ;  it  never,  however,  brought  up 
anything  besides  a  few  of  two  extremely  minute  species  of  Ento- 
mostraca.  Yet  whales  and  seals,  petrels  and  albatross,  are  ex- 
ceedingly abundant  throughout  this  part  of  the  ocean.  It  has 
always  been  a  mystery  to  me  on  what  the  albatross,  which  lives 
far  from  the  shore,  can  subsist ;  I  presume  that,  like  the  condor, 
it  is  able  to  fast  long ;  and  that  one  good  feast  on  the  carcass 
of  a  putrid  whale  lasts  for  a  long  time.  The  central  and  inter- 
tropical  parts  of  the  Atlantic  swarm  with  Pteropoda,  Crustacea, 
and  Radiata,  and  with  their  devourers  the  flying-fish,  and  again 
with  their  devourers  the  bonitos  and  albicores  ;  I  presume  that 
the  numerous  lower  pelagic  animals  feed  on  the  Infusoria,  which 
are  now  known,  from  the  researches  of  Ehrenberg,  to  abound  in 
the  open  ocean :  but  on  what,  in  the  clear  blue  water,  do  these 
Infusoria  subsist  ? 

While  sailing  a  little  south  of  the  Plata  on  one  very  dark 
night,  the  sea  presented  a  wonderful  and  most  beautiful  spec- 
tacle. There  was  a  fresh  breeze,  and  every  part  of  the  sur- 
face, which  during  the  day  is  seen  as  foam,  now  glowed  with 
a  pale  light.  The  vessel  drove  before  her  bows  two  billows 
of  liquid  phosphorus,  and  in  her  wake  she  was  followed  by  a 
milky  train.  As  far  as  the  eye  reached,  the  crest  of  every 
wave  was  bright,  and  the  sky  above  the  horizon,  from  the  re- 
flected glare  of  these  livid  flames,  was  not  so  utterly  obscure 
as  over  the  vault  of  the  heavens 


PHOSPHORESCENCE   OF  THE  SEA.  163 

As  we  proceed  further  southward  the  sea  is  seldom  phospho- 
rescent ;  and  off  Cape  Horn  I  do  not  recollect  more  than  once 
having  seen  it  so,  and  then  it  was  far  from  being  brilliant.  This 
circumstance  probably  has  a  close  connexion  with  the  scarcity  of 
organic  beings  in  that  part  of  the  ocean.  After  the  elaborate 
paper  *  by  Ehrenberg,  on  the  phosphorescence  of  the  sea,  it  is 
almost  superfluous  on  my  part  to  make  any  observations  on  the 
subject.  I  may  however  add,  that  the  same  torn  and  irregular 
particles  of  gelatinous  matter,  described  by  Ehrenberg,  seem  in 
the  southern  as  well  as  in  the  northern  hemisphere,  to  be  the 
common  cause  of  this  phenomenon.  The  particles  were  so 
minute  as  easily  to  pass  through  fine  gauze  ;  yet  many  were  dis- 
tinctly visible  by  the  naked  eye.  The  water  when  placed  in  a 
tumbler  and  agitated,  gave  out  sparks,  but  a  small  portion  in  a 
watch  -glass  scarcely  ever  was  luminous.  Ehrenberg  states  that 
these  particles  all  retain  a  certain  degree  of  irritability.  My 
observations,  some  of  which  were  made  directly  after  taking  up 
the  water,  gave  a  different  result.  I  may  also  mention,  that 
having  used  the  net  during  one  night,  I  allowed  it  to  become 
partially  dry,  and  having  occasion  twelve  hours  afterwards  to 
employ  it  again,  I  found  the  whole  surface  sparkled  as  brightly 
as  when  first  taken  out  of  the  water.  It  does  not  appear  pro- 
bable in  this  case,  that  the  particles  could  have  remained  so  long 
alive.  On  one  occasion  having  kept  a  jelly-fish  of  the  genus 
Dianeea  till  it  was  dead,  the  water  in  which  it  was  placed  became 
luminous.  When  the  waves  scintillate  with  bright  green  sparks, 
I  believe  it  is  generally  owing  to  minute  Crustacea.  But  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  very  many  other  pelagic  animals,  when 
alive,  are  phosphorescent. 

On  two  occasions  I  have  observed  the  sea  luminous  at  con- 
siderable depths  beneath  the  surface.  Near  the  mouth  of  the 
Plata  some  circular  and  oval  patches,  from  two  to  four  yards  in 
diameter,  and  with  defined  outlines,  shone  with  a  steady  but  pale 
light ;  while  the  surrounding  water  only  gave  out  a  few  sparks. 
The  appearance  resembled  the  reflection  of  the  moon,  or  some 
luminous  body  ;  for  the  edges  were  sinuous  from  the  undulations 
of  the  surface.  The  ship,  which  drew  thirteen  feet  water,  passed 

*  An  abstract  is  given  in  No  IV  of  the  Magazine  of  Zoology  and 
Botany. 


164  PORT  DESIRE.  [CHAP.  TIII. 

over,  without  disturbing  these  patches.  Therefore  we  must  sup- 
pose that  some  animals  were  congregated  together  at  a  greater 
depth  than  the  bottom  of  the  vessel. 

Near  Fernando  Noronha  the  sea  gave  out  light  in  flashes. 
The  appearance  was  very  similar  to  that  which  might  be  expected 
from  a  large  fish  moving  rapidly  through  a  luminous  fluid. 
To  this  cause  the  sailors  attributed  it ;  at  the  time,  however,  1 
entertained  some  doubts,  on  account  of  the  frequency  and  rapid- 
ity of  the  flashes.  I  have  already  remarked  that  the  phenome- 
non is  very  much  more  common  in  warm  than  in  cold  countries  ; 
and  I  have  sometimes  imagined  that  a  disturbed  electrical  con- 
dition of  the  atmosphere  was  most  favourable  to  its  production. 
Certainly  I  think  the  sea  is  most  luminous  after  a  few  days  of 
more  calm  weather  than  ordinary,  during  which  time  it  has 
swarmed  with  various  animals.  Observing  that  the  water 
charged  with  gelatinous  particles  is  in  an  impure  state,  and  that 
the  luminous  appearance  in  all  common  cases  is  produced  by  the 
agitation  of  the  fluid  in  contact  with  the  atmosphere,  I  am  in- 
clined to  consider  that  the  phosphorescence  is  the  result  of  the 
decomposition  of  the  organic  particles,  by  which  process  (one  is 
tempted  almost  to  call  it  a  kind  of  respiration)  the  ocean  becomes 
purified. 

December  23rd. — "We  arrived  at  Port  Desire,  situated  in  lat. 
47°,  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia.  The  creek  runs  for  about  twenty 
miles  inland,  with  an  irregular  width.  The  Beagle  anchored  a 
few  miles  within  the  entrance,  in  front  of  the  ruins  of  an  old 
Spanish  settlement. 

The  same  evening  I  went  on  shore.  The  first  landing  in  any 
new  country  is  very  interesting,  and  especially  when,  as  in  this 
case,  the  whole  aspect  bears  the  stamp  of  a  marked  and  individual 
character.  At  the  height  of  between  two  and  three  hundred 
feet  above  some  masses  of  porphyry  a  wide  plain  extends,  which 
is  truly  characteristic  of  Patagonia.  The  surface  is  quite  level, 
and  is  composed  of  well-rounded  shingle  mixed  with  a  whitish 
earth.  Here  and  there  scattered  tufts  of  brown  wiry  grass  are 
supported,  and,  still  more  rarely,  some  low  thorny  bushes.  The 
weather  is  dry  and  pleasant,  and  the  fine  blue  sky  is  but  seldom 
obscured.  When  standing  in  the  middle  of  one  of  these  desert 


1833.]  SPANISH  SETTLEMENT.  165 

plains  and  looking  towards  the  interior,  the  view  is  generally 
bounded  by  the  escarpment  of  another  plain,  rather  higher,  but 
equally  level  and  desolate ;  and  in  every  other  direction  the  hori- 
zon is  indistinct  from  the  trembling  mirage  which  seems  to  rise 
from  the  heated  surface. 

In  such  a  country  the  fate  of  the  Spanish  settlement  was  soon 
decided  ;  the  dryness  of  the  climate  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  year,  and  the  occasional  hostile  attacks  of  the  wandering 
Indians,  compelled  the  colonists  to  desert  their  half-finished 
buildings.  The  style,  however,  in  which  they  were  commenced 
shows  the  strong  and  liberal  hand  of  Spain  in  the  old  time. 
The  result  of  all  the  attempts  to  colonize  this  side  of  America 
south  of  41°,  have  been  miserable.  Port  Famine  expresses  by  its 
name  the  lingering  and  extreme  sufferings  of  several  hundred 
wretched  people,  of  whom  one  alone  survived  to  relate  their  mis- 
fortunes. At  St.  Joseph's  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  a 
small  settlement  was  made ;  but  during  one  Sunday  the  Indians 
made  an  attack  and  massacred  the  whole  party,  excepting  two 
men,  who  remained  captives  during  many  years.  At  the  Rio 
Negro  I  conversed  with  one  of  these  men,  now  in  extreme  old  age. 

The  zoology  of  Patagonia  is  as  limited  as  its  Flora.*  On  the 
arid  plains  a  few  black  beetles  (Heteromera)  might  be  seen 
slowly  crawling  about,  and  occasionally  a  lizard  darted  from  side 
to  side.  Of  birds  we  have  three  carrion  hawks,  and  in  the  val- 
leys a  few  finches  and  insect-feeders.  An  ibis  (Theristicus  me- 
lanops — a  species  said  to  be  found  in  central  Africa)  is  not 
uncommon  on  the  most  desert  parts  :  in  their  stomachs  I  found 
grasshoppers,  cicadae,  small  lizards,  and  even  scorpions  ^  At 
one  time  of  the  year  these  birds  go  in  flocks,  at  another  in  pairs  ; 
their  cry  is  very  loud  and  singular,  like  the  neighing  of  the 
guanaco, 

*  I  found  here  a  species  of  cactus,  described  by  Professor  Henslow,  under 
the  name  of  Opuntia  Darwinii  (Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany,  vol.  i. 
p.  406),  -which  was  remarkable  by  the  irritability  of  the  stamens,  when  I 
inserted  either  a  piece  of  stick  or  the  end  of  my  finger  in  the  flower.  The 
segments  of  the  perianth  also  closed  on  the  pistil,  but  more  slowly  than  the 
stamens.  Plants  of  this  family,  generally  considered  as  tropical,  occur  in  North 
America  (Lewis  and  Clarke's  Travels,  p.  221),  in  the  same  high  latitude 
as  here,  namely,  in  both  cases,  in  47°. 

t  These  insects  were  not  uncommon  beneath  stones.  I  found  one  cannibal 
scorpion  quietly  devouring  another. 


166  PORT  DESIRE.  [CHAP.  vm. 

The  guanaco,  or  wild  llama,  is  the  characteristic  quadruped 
of  the  plains  of  Patagonia  ;  it  is  the  South  American  represent- 
ative of  the  camel  of  the  Eas  It  is  an  elegant  animal  in  a 
state  of  nature,  with  a  long  slender  neck  and  fine  legs.  It  is 
very  common  over  the  whole  of  the  temperate  parts  of  the  con- 
tinent, as  far  south  as  the  islands  near  Cape  Horn.  It  generally 
lives  in  small  herds  of  from  half  a  dozen  to  thirty  in  each ;  but 
on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Cruz  we  saw  one  herd  which  must  have 
contained  at  least  five  hundred. 

They  are  generally  wild  and  extremely  wary.  Mr.  Stokes 
told  me,  that  he  one  day  saw  through  a  glass  a  herd  of  these 
animals  which  evidently  had  been  frightened,  and  were  running 
away  at  full  speed,  although  their  distance  was  so  great  that  he 
could  not  distinguish  them  with  his  naked  eye.  The  sportsman 
frequently  receives  the  first  notice  of  their  presence,  by  hearing 
from  a  long  distance  their  peculiar  shrill  neighing  note  of  alarm. 
If  he  then  looks  attentively,  he  will  probably  see  the  herd  stand- 
ing in  a  line  on  the  side  of  some  distant  hill.  On  approaching 
nearer,  a  few  more  squeals  are  given,  and  off  they  set  at  an  ap- 
parently slow,  but  really  quick  canter,  along  some  narrow  beaten 
track  to  a  neighbouring  hill.  If,  however,  by  chance  he  abruptly 
meets  a  single  animal,  or  several  together,  they  will  generally 
stand  motionless  and  intently  gaze  at  him ;  then  perhaps  move 
on  a  few  yards,  turn  round,  and  look  again.  What  is  the  cause 
of  this  difference  in  their  shyness  ?  Do  they  mistake  a  man  in 
the  distance  for  their  chief  enemy  the  puma  ?  Or  does  curiosity 
overcome  their  timidity  ?  That  they  are  curious  is  certain  ;  for 
if  a  person  lies  on  the  ground,  and  plays  strange  antics,  such  as 
throwing  up  his  feet  in  the  air,  they  will  almost  always  approach 
by  degrees  to  reconnoitre  him.  It  was  an  artifice  that  was 
repeatedly  practised  by  our  sportsmen  with  success,  and  it  had 
moreover  the  advantage  of  allowing  several  shots  to  be  fired, 
which  were  all  taken  as  parts  of  the  performance.  On  the  moun~ 
tains  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  I  have  more  than  once  seen  a  guanaco, 
Dn  being  approached,  not  only  neigh  and  squeal,  but  prance  and 
leap  about  in  the  most  ridiculous  manner,  apparently  in  defiance 
as  a  challenge.  These  animals  are  very  easily  domesticated,  and 
I  have  seen  some  thus  kept  in  northern  Patagonia  near  a  house, 
though  not  under  any  restraint  They  are  in  this  state  very 


1833.]  HABITS   OF  THE   GUANACO.  167 

bold,  and  readily  attack  a  man  by  striking  him  from  behind  with 
both  knees.  It  is  asserted  that  the  motive  for  these  attacks  is 
jealousy  on  account  of  their  females.  The  wild  guanacos,  how- 
ever, have  no  idea  of  defence  ;  even  a  single  dog  will  secure  one 
of  these  large  animals,  till  the  huntsman  can  come  up.  In  many 
of  their  habits  they  are  like  sheep  in  a  flock.  Thus  when  they 
see  men  approaching  in  several  directions  on  horseback,  they 
soon  become  bewildered,  and  know  not  which  way  to  run.  This 
greatly  facilitates  the  Indian  method  of  hunting,  for  they  are 
thus  easily  driven  to  a  central  point,  and  are  encompassed. 

The  guanacos  readily  take  to  the  water :  several  times  ai 
Port  Valdes  they  were  seen  swimming  from  island  to  island. 
Byron,  in  his  voyage,  says  he  saw  them  drinking  salt  water. 
Some  of  our  officers  likewise  saw  a  herd  apparently  drinking  the 
briny  fluid  from  a  salina  near  Cape  Blanco.  I  imagine  in  several 
parts  of  the  country,  if  they  do  not  drink  salt  water,  they  drink 
none  at  all.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  they  frequently  roll  in  the 
dust,  in  saucer-shaped  hollows.  The  males  fight  together ;  two 
one  day  passed  quite  close  to  me,  squealing  and  trying  to  bite 
each  other ;  and  several  were  shot  with  their  hides  deeply  scored. 
Herds  sometimes  appear  to  set  out  on  exploring  parties:  at 
Bahia  Blanca,  where,  within  thirty  miles  of  the  coast,  these 
animals  are  extremely  unfrequent,  I  one  day  saw  the  tracks  of 
thirty  or  forty,  which  had  come  in  a  direct  line  to  a  muddy  salt- 
water creek.  They  then  must  have  perceived  that  they  were 
approaching  the  sea,  for  they  had  wheeled  with  the  regularity  of 
cavalry,  and  had  returned  back  in  as  straight  a  line  as  they  had 
advanced.  The  guanacos  have  one  singular  habit,  which  is  to 
me  quite  inexplicable ;  namely,  that  on  successive  days  they 
drop  their  dung  in  the  same  defined  heap.  I  saw  one  of  these 
heaps  which  was  eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  was  composed  of  a 
large  quantity.  This  habit,  according  to  M.  A.  d'Orbigny,  is 
common  to  all  the  species  of  the  genus  ;  it  is  very  useful  to  the 
Peruvian  Indians,  who  use  the  dung  for  fuel,  and  are  thus  saved 
the  trouble  of  collecting  it. 

The  guanacos  appear  to  have  favourite  spots  for  lying  down 
to  die.  On  the  banks  of  the  St.  Cruz,  in  certain  circumscribed 
spaces,  which  were  generally  bushy  and  all  near  the  river,  the 
ground  was  actually  white  with  bones.  On  one  such  spot  I 

12 


168  PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  vm. 

counter!  between  ten  and  twenty  heads.  I  particularly  examined 
the  bones  ;  they  did  not  appear,  as  some  scattered  ones  which  I 
had  seen,  gnawed  or  broken,  as  if  dragged  together  by  beasts  of 
prey.  The  animals  in  most  cases  must  have  crawled,  before 
dying,  beneath  and  amongst  the  bushes.  Mr.  Bynoe  informs  me 
that  during  a  former  voyage  he  observed  the  same  circumstance 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Gallegos.  I  do  not  at  all  understand 
the  reason  of  this,  but  I  may  observe,  that  the  wounded  guana- 
cos  at  the  St.  Cruz  invariably  walked  towards  the  river.  At 
St.  Jago  in  the  Cape  de  Verd  islands,  I  remember  having  seen 
in  a  ravine  a  retired  corner  covered  with  bones  of  the  goat ;  we 
at  the  time  exclaimed  that  it  was  the  burial-ground  of  all  the 
goats  in  the  island.  I  mention  these  trifling  circumstances,  be- 
cause in  certain  cases  they  might  explain  the  occurrence  of  a 
number  of  uninjured  bones  in  a  cave,  or  buried  under  alluvial 
accumulations;  and  likewise  the  cause  why  certain  animals  are 
more  commonly  embedded  than  others  in  sedimentary  deposits. 

One  day  the  yawl  was  sent  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Chaffers 
with  three  days'  provisions  to  survey  the  upper  part  of  the  har- 
bour. In  the  morning  we  searched  for  some  watering-places 
mentioned  in  an  old  Spanish  chart.  We  found  one  creek,  at  the 
head  of  which  there  was  a  trickling  rill  (the  first  we  had  seen) 
of  brackish  water.  Here  the  tide  compelled  us  to  wait  several 
hours  ;  and  in  the  interval  I  walked  some  miles  into  the  interior. 
The  plain  as  usual  consisted  of  gravel,  mingled  with  soil  resem- 
bling chalk  in  appearance,  but  very  different  from  it  in  nature. 
From  the  softness  of  these  materials  it  was  worn  into  many 
gulleys.  There  was  not  a  tree,  and,  excepting  the  guanaco,  which 
stood  on  the  hill-top  a  watchful  sentinel  over  its  herd,  scarcely 
an  animal  or  a  bird.  All  was  stillness  and  desolation.  Yet  in 
passing  over  these  scenes,  without  one  bright  object  near,  an  ill- 
defined  but  strong  sense  of  pleasure  is  vividly  excited.  One 
asked  how  many  ages  the  plain  had  thus  lasted,  and  how  many 
more  it  was  doomed  thus  to  continue. 

None  can  reply — all  seems  eternal  now. 
The  wilderness  has  a  mysterious  tongue, 
Which  teaches  awful  doubt.* 

*  Shelley,  Lines  on  M.  Blanc. 


1834.]  INDIAN   GRATE.  169 

In  the  evening  we  sailed  a  few  miles  further  up,  and  then 
pitched  the  tents  for  the  night.  By  the  middle  of  the  next  day 
the  yawl  was  aground,  and  from  the  shoalness  of  the  water  could 
not  proceed  any  higher.  •  The  water  being  found  partly  fresh, 
Mr.  Chaffers  took  the  dingey  and  went  up  two  or  three  miles 
further,  where  she  also  grounded,  but  in  a  fresh-water  river 
The  water  was  muddy,  and  though  the  stream  was  most  insigni 
ficant  in  size,  it  would  be  difficult  to  account  for  its  origin, 
except  from  the  melting  snow  on  the  Cordillera.  At  the  spot 
where  we  bivouacked,  we  were  surrounded  by  bold  cliffs  and 
steep  pinnacles  of  porphyry.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  a  spot 
which  appeared  more  secluded  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  than 
this  rocky  crevice  in  the  wide  plain. 

The  second  day  after  our  return  to  the  anchorage,  a  party  of 
officers  and  myself  went  to  ransack  an  old  Indian  grave,  which  I 
had  found  on  the  summit  of  a  neighbouring  hill.  Two  immense 
stones,  each  probably  weighing  at  least  a  couple  of  tons,  had 
been  placed  in  front  of  a  ledge  of  rock  about  six  feet  high.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  grave  on  the  hard  rock  there  was  a  layer 
of  earth  about  a  foot  deep,  which  must  have  been  brought  up 
from  the  plain  below.  Above  it  a  pavement  of  flat  stones  was 
placed,  on  which  others  were  piled,  so  as  to  fill  up  the  space 
between  the  ledge  and  the  two  great  blocks.  To  complete  the 
grave,  the  Indians  had  contrived  to  detach  from  the  ledge  a  huge 
fragment,  and  to  throw  it  over  the  pile  so  as  to  rest  on  the  two 
blocks.  We  undermined  the  grave  on  both  sides,  but  could  not 
find  any  relics,  or  even  bones.  The  latter  probably  had  decayed 
long  since  (in  which  case  the  grave  must  have  been  of  extreme 
antiquity),  for  I  found  in  another  place  some  smaller  heaps, 
beneatli  which  a  very  few  crumbling  fragments  could  yet  be 
distinguished  as  having  belonged  to  a  man.  Falconer  states, 
that  where  an  Indian  dies  he  is  buried,  but  that  subsequently  his 
bones  are  carefully  taken  up  and  carried,  let  the  distance  be  ever 
so  great,  to  be  deposited  near  the  sea-coast.  This  custom,  I 
think,  may  be  accounted  for  by  recollecting,  that  before  the  in- 
troduction of  horses,  these  Indians  must  have  led  nearly  the 
same  life  as  the  Fuegians  now  do,  and  therefore  generally  have 
resided  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sea.  The  common  prejudice 
of  lying  where  one's  ancestors  have  lain,  would  make  the  now 


170  PORT   ST.   JULIAN.  [CHAP.  Tin. 

roaming  Indians  bring  the  less  perishable  part  of  their  dead  to 
their  ancient  burial-ground  on  the  coast. 

January  9th,  1834. — Before  it  was  dark  the  Beagle  anchored 
in  the  fine  spacious  harbour  of  Port  St.  Julian,  situated  about 
one  hundred  and  ten  miles  to  the  south  of  Port  Desire.  We 
remained  here  eight  days.  The  country  is  nearly  similar  to  that 
of  Port  Desire,  but  perhaps  rather  more  sterile.  One  day  a 
party  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy  on  a  long  walk  round  the 
head  of  the  harbour.  We  were  eleven  hours  without  tasting 
any  water,  and  some  of  the  party  were  quite  exhausted.  From 
the  summit  of  a  hill  (since  well  named  Thirsty  Hill)  a  fine  lake 
was  spied,  and  two  of  the  party  proceeded  with  concerted  signals  to 
show  whether  it  was  fresh  water.  What  was  our  disappointment 
to  find  a  snow-white  expanse  of  salt,  crystallized  in  great  cubes ! 
We  attributed  our  extreme  thirst  to  the  dryness  of  the  atmos- 
phere ;  but  whatever  the  cause  might  be,  we  were  exceedingly 
glad  late  in  the  evening  to  get  back  to  the  boats.  Although 
we  could  nowhere  find,  during  our  whole  visit,  a  single  drop  of 
fresh  water,  yet  some  must  exist ;  for  by  an  odd  chance  I  found 
on  the  surface  of  the  salt  water,  near  the  head  of  the  bay,  a  Co- 
lymbetes  not  quite  dead,  which  must  have  lived  in  some  not  far 
distant  pool.  Three  other  insects  (a  Cincindela,  like  hybrida, 
a  Cymindis,  and  a  Harpalus,  which  all  live  on  muddy  flats  occa- 
sionally overflowed  by  the  sea),  and  one  other  found  dead  on  the 
plain,  complete  the  list  of  the  beetles.  A  good-sized  fly  (Ta- 
banus)  was  extremely  numerous,  and  tormented  us  by  its  painful 
bite.  The  common  horsefly,  which  is  so  troublesome  in  the 
shady  lanes  of  England,  belongs  to  this  same  genus.  We  here 
have  the  puzzle  that  so  frequently  occurs  in  the  case  of  mus- 
quitoes — on  the  blood  of  what  animals  do  these  insects  commonly 
feed  ?  The  guanaco  is  nearly  the  only  warm-blooded  quadruped, 
and  it  is  found  in  quite  inconsiderable  numbers  compared  with 
the  multitude  of  flies. 

The  geology  of  Patagonia  is  interesting.  Differently  from 
Europe,  where  the  tertiary  formations  appear  to  have  accu- 
mulated in  bays,  here  along  hundreds  of  miles  of  coast  we  have 
one  great  deposit,  including  many  tertiary  shells,  all  apparently 
cxtiuct  The  most  common  shell  is  a  massive  gigantic  oyster, 


1834.]  GEOLOGY  OF  PATAGONIA.  171 

sometimes  even  a  foot  in  diameter.  These  beds  are  covered  by 
others  of  a  peculiar  soft  white  stone,  including  much  gypsum, 
and  resembling  chalk,  but  really  of  a  pumiceous  nature.  It  in 
highly  remarkable,  from  being  composed,  to  at  least  one- 
tenth  part  of  its  bulk,  of  Infusoria :  Professor  Ehrenberg  hap 
already  ascertained  in  it  thirty  oceanic  forms.  This  bed  extends 
for  500  miles  along  the  coast,  and  probably  for  a  considerably 
greater  distance.  At  Port  St.  Julian  its  thickness  is  more  than 
800  feet !  These  white  beds  are  everywhere  capped  by  a  mass 
of  gravel,  forming  probably  one  of  the  largest  beds  of  shingle  in 
the  world  :  it  certainly  extends  from  near  the  Rio  Colorado  to  be- 
tween 600  and  700  nautical  miles  southward ;  at  Sunta  Cruz  (a 
river  a  little  south  of  St.  Julian),  it  reaches  to  the  foot,  of  the 
Cordillera  ;  half  way  up  the  river,  its  thickness  is  more  than  200 
feet ;  it  probably  everywhere  extends  to  this  great  chain,  whence 
the  well-rounded  pebbles  of  porphyry  have  been  derived :  we 
may  consider  its  average  breadth  as  200  miles,  and  its  average 
thickness  as  about  50  feet.  If  this  great  bed  of  pebbles,  with- 
out including  the  mud  necessarily  derived  from  their  attrition, 
was  piled  into  a  mound,  it  would  form  a  great  mountain  chain  ! 
When  we  consider  that  all  these  pebbles,  countless  as  the  grains 
of  sand  in  the  desert,  have  been  derived  from  the  slow  falling  of 
masses  of  rock  on  the  old  coast-lines  and  banks  of  rivers ;  and 
that  these  fragments  have  been  dashed  into  smaller  pieces,  and 
that  each  of  them  has  since  been  slowly  rolled,  rounded,  and 
far  transported,  the  mind  is  stupified  in  thinking  over  the  long, 
absolutely  necessary,  lapse  of  years.  Yet  all  this  gravel  has 
been  transported,  and  probably  rounded,  subsequently  to  the 
deposition  of  the  white  beds,  and  long  subsequently  to  the  under- 
lying beds  with  the  tertiary  shells. 

Everything  in  this  southern  continent  has  been  effected  on  a 
grand  scale:  the  land,  from  the  Rio  Plata  to  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
a  distance  of  1200  miles,  has  been  raised  in  mass  (and  in  Pata- 
gonia to  a  height  of  between  300  and  400  feet),  within  the  period 
of  the  now  existing  sea-shells.  The  old  and  weathered  shells 
left  on  the  surface  of  the  upraised  plain  still  partially  retain 
tht'ir  colours.  The  uprising  movement  has  been  interrupted  by 
at  least  eight  long  periods  of  rest,  during  which  the  sea  ate  deeply 
back  into  the  land,  forming  at  successive  levels  the  long  lines  of 


172  GEOLOGY   OF   PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  vin. 

cliffs  or  escarpments,  which  separate  the  different  plains  as  they 
rise  like  steps  one  behind  the  other.  The  elevatory  movement, 
and  the  eating-back  power  of  the  sea  during  the  periods  of  rest, 
have  been  equable  over  long  lines  of  coast ;  for  I  was  astonished 
to  find  that  the  step-like  plains  stand  at  nearly  corresponding 
heights  at  far  distant  points.  The  lowest  plain  is  90  feet  high  ; 
and  the  highest,  which  I  ascended  near  the  coast,  is  950  feet ; 
and  of  this,  only  relics  are  left  in  the  form  of  flat  gravel- 
capped  hills.  The  upper  plain  of  S.  Cruz  slopes  up  to  a  height 
of  3000  feet  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera.  I  have  said  that 
within  the  period  of  existing  sea-shells  Patagonia  has  been  up- 
raised 300  to  400  feet:  I  may  add,  that  within  the  period 
when  icebergs  transported  boulders  over  the  upper  plain  of 
Santa  Cruz,  the  elevation  has  been  at  least  1500  feet.  Nor 
has  Patagonia  been  affected  only  by  upward  movements :  the 
extinct  tertiary  shells  from  Port  St.  Julian  and  Santa  Cruz  cannot 
have  lived,  according  to  Professor  E.  Forbes,  in  a  greater  depth 
of  water  than  from  40  to  250  feet ;  but  they  are  now  covered 
with  sea-deposited  strata  from  800  to  1000  feet  in  thickness  : 
hence  the  bed  of  the  sea,  on  which  these  shells  once  lived,  must 
have  sunk  downwards  several  hundred  feet,  to  allow  of  the  accu- 
mulation of  the  superincumbent  strata.  What  a  history  of  geo- 
logical changes  does  the  simply -constructed  coast  of  Patagonia 
reveal ! 

At  Port  St.  Julian  *,  in  some  red  mud  capping  the  gravel 
on  the  90-feet  plain,  I  found  half  the  skeleton  of  the  Macrau- 
chenia  Patachonica,  a  remarkable  quadruped,  full  as  large  as  a 
camel.  It  belongs  to  the  same  division  of  the  Pachydermata  with 
the  rhinoceros,  tapir,  and  palaeotherium;  but  in  the  structure  of  the 
bones  of  its  long  neck  it  shows  a  clear  relation  to  the  camel,  or 
rather  to  the  guanaco  and  llama.  From  recent  sea-shells  being 
found  on  two  of  the  higher  step-formed  plains,  which  must  have 
been  modelled  and  upraised  before  the  mud  was  deposited  in 
which  the  Macrauchenia  was  intombed,  it  is  certain  that  this 
curious  quadruped  lived  long  after  the  sea  was  inhabited  by  its 

*  I  have  lately  heard  that  Capt.  Sulivan,  R.N.,  has  found  numerous  fossil 
bones,  embedded  in  regular  strata,  on  the  banks  of  the  K.  Gallegos,  in  lat. 
51°  4'.  Some  of  the  bones  are  large  ;  others  are  small,  and  appear  to  have 
belonged  to  an  armadillo.  This  is  a  most  interesting  and  important  di& 
covery. 


1834.]  TYPES  OF   ORGANIZATION   CONSTANT.  .   173 

present  shells.  I  was  at  first  much  surprised  how  a  large  quad- 
ruped could  so  lately  have  subsisted,  in  lat.  49°  15',  on  these 
wretched  gravel  plains  with  their  stunted  vegetation  ;  but  the 
relationship  of  the  Macrauchenia  to  the  guanaco,  now  an  inha- 
bitant of  the  most  sterile  parts,  partly  explains  this  difficulty. 

The  relationship,  though  distant,  between  the  Macrauchenia 
and  the  Guanaco,  between  the  Toxodon  and  the  Capybara, — 
the  closer  relationship  between  the  many  extinct  Edentata  and 
the  living  sloths,  ant-eaters,  and  armadillos,  now  so  eminently 
characteristic  of  South  American  zoology, — and  the  still  closer 
relationship  between  the  fossil  and  living  species  of  Ctenomys  and 
Plydrochaerus,  are  most  interesting  facts.  This  relationship  is 
shown  wonderfully — as  wonderfully  as  between  the  fossil  and 
extinct  Marsupial  animals  of  Australia — by  the  great  collection 
lately  brought  to  Europe  from  the  caves  of  Brazil  by  MM.  Lund 
and  Clausen.  In  this  collection  there  are  extinct  species  of  all 
the  thirty-two  genera,  excepting  four,  of  the  terrestrial  quadru- 
peds now  inhabiting  the  provinces  in  which  the  caves  occur ; 
and  the  extinct  species  are  much  more  numerous  than  those  now 
living :  there  are  fossil  ant-eaters,  armadillos,  tapirs,  peccariesy 
guanacos,  opossums,  and  numerous  South  American  gnawers  and 
monkeys,  and  other  animals.  This  wonderful  relationship  in  the 
same  continent  between  the  dead  and  the  living,  will,  I  do  not 
doubt,  hereafter  throw  more  light  on  the  appearance  of  organic 
beings  on  our  earth,  and  their  disappearance  from  it,  than  any 
other  class  of  facts. 

It  is  impossible  to  reflect  on  the  changed  state  of  the  American 
continent  without  the  deepest  astonishment.  Formerly  it  must 
have  swarmed  with  great  monsters :  now  we  find  mere  pigmies, 
compared  with  the  antecedent,  allied  races.  If  BufFon  had  known 
of  the  gigantic  sloth  and  armadillo-like  animals,  and  of  the  lost 
Pachydermata,  he  might  have  said  with  a  greater  semblance  of 
truth  that  the  creative  force  in  America  had  lost  its  power, 
rather  than  that  it  had  never  possessed  great  vigour.  The 
greater  number,  if  not  all,  of  these  extinct  quadrupeds  lived  at 
a  late  period,  and  were  the  contemporaries  of  most  of  the  exist- 
ing sea-shells.  Since  they  lived,  no  very  great  change  in  the  form 
of  the  land  can  have  taken  place.  What,  then,  has  exterminated 
so  many  species  and  whole  genera  ?  The  mind  at  first  is  irre- 


174  CAUSES  OF  EXTINCTION.  [CHAP.  Tin. 

sistibly  hurried  into  the  belief  of  some  great  catastrophe ;  but 
thus  to  destroy  animals,  both  large  and  small,  in  Southern  Pata- 
gonia, in  Brazil,  on  the  Cordillera  of  Peru,  in  North  America 
up  to  Behring's  Straits,  we  must  shake  the  entire  framework  of 
the  globe,  An  examination,  moreover,  of  the  geology  of  La 
Plata  and  Patagonia,  leads  to  the  belief  that  all  the  features  of 
the  land  result  from  slow  and  gradual  changes.  It  appears  from 
the  character  of  the  fossils  in  Europe,  Asia,  Australia,  and  in 
North  and  South  America,  that  those  conditions  which  favour 
the  life  of  the  larger  quadrupeds  were  lately  co-extensive  with 
the  world :  what  those  conditions  were,  no  one  has  yet  even 
conjectured.  It  could  hardly  have  been  a  change  of  tempera- 
ture, which  at  about  the  same  time  destroyed  the  inhabitants  of 
tropical,  temperate,  and  arctic  latitudes  on  both  sides  of  the 
globe.  In  North  America  we  positively  know  from  Mr.  Lyell, 
that  the  large  quadrupeds  lived  subsequently  to  that  period,  when 
boulders  were  brought  into  latitudes  at  which  icebergs  now  never 
arrive :  from  conclusive  but  indirect  reasons  we  may  feel  sure, 
that  in  the  southern  hemisphere  the  Macrauchenia,  also,  lived 
long  subsequently  to  the  ice-transporting  boulder-period.  Did 
man,  after  his  first  inroad  into  South  America,  destroy,  as  has 
been  suggested,  the  unwieldy  Megatherium  and  the  other  Eden- 
tata ?  "We  must  at  least  look  to  some  other  cause  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  little  tucutuco  at  Bahia  Blanca,  and  of  the  many 
fossil  mice  and  other  small  quadrupeds  in  Brazil.  No  one 
will  imagine  that  a  drought,  even  far  severer  than  those  which 
cause  such  losses  in  the  provinces  of  La  Plata,  could  destroy 
every  individual  of  every  species  from  Southern  Patagonia  to 
Behring's  Straits.  What  shall  we  say  of  the  extinction  of  the 
horse  ?  Did  those  plains  fail  of  pasture,  which  have  since  been 
overrun  by  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  stock  introduced  by  the  Spaniards  ?  Have  the  subse- 
quently introduced  species  consumed  the  food  of  the  great  ante- 
cedent races  ?  Can  we  believe  that  the  Capybara  has  taken  the 
food  of  the  Toxodon,  the  Guanaco  of  the  Macrauchenia,  the  ex- 
isting small  Edentata  of  their  numerous  gigantic  prototypes? 
Certainly,  no  fact  in  the  long  histoiy  of  the  world  is  so  startling 
as  the  wide  and  repeated  exterminations  of  its  inhabitants. 
Nevertheless,  if  we  consider  the  subject  under  another  point  ol 


1834.]  CAUSES  OF  EXTINCTION.  175 

view,  it  will  appear  less  perplexing.  We  do  not  steadily  bear  in 
mind,  how  profoundly  ignorant  we  are  of  the  conditions  of  exist- 
ence of  every  animal ;  nor  do  we  always  remember,  that  some 
check  is  constantly  preventing  the  too  rapid  increase  of  every 
organized  being  left  in  a  state  of  nature.  The  supply  of  food,  on 
an  average,  remains  constant ;  yet  the  tendency  in  every  animal  to 
increase  by  propagation  is  geometrical ;  and  its  surprising  effects 
have  nowhere  been  more  astonishingly  shown,  than  in  the  case 
of  the  European  animals  run  wild  during  the  last  few  centuries 
in  America.  Every  animal  in  a  state  of  nature  regularly  breeds  ; 
yet  in  a  species  long  established,  any  great  increase  in  numbers  is 
obviously  impossible,  and  must  be  checked  by  some  means.  We 
are,  nevertheless,  seldom  able  with  certainty  to  tell  in  any  given 
species,  at  what  period  of  life,  or  at  what  period  of  the  year,  or 
whether  only  at  long  intervals,  the  check  falls ;  or,  again,  what 
is  the  precise  nature  of  the  check.  Hence  probably  it  is,  that 
we  feel  so  little  surprise  at  one,  of  two  species  closely  allied  in 
habits,  being  rare  and  the  other  abundant  in  the  same  district ; 
or,  again,  that  one  should  be  abundant  in  one  district,  and 
another,  filling  the  same  place  in  the  economy  of  nature,  should 
be  abundant  in  a  neighbouring  district,  differing  very  little  in  its 
conditions.  If  asked  how  this  is,  one  immediately  replies  that 
it  is  determined  by  some  slight  difference  in  climate,  food,  or  the 
number  of  enemies :  yet  how  rarely,  if  ever,  we  can  point  out 
the  precise  cause  and  manner  of  action  of  the  check  I  We  are, 
therefore,  driven  to  the  conclusion,  that  causes  generally  quite 
inappreciable  by  us,  determine  whether  a  given  species  shall  be 
abundant  or  scanty  in  numbers. 

In  the  cases  where  we  can  trace  the  extinction  of  a  species 
through  man,  either  wholly  or  in  one  limited  district,  we  know 
that  it  becomes  rarer  and  rarer,  and  is  then  lost :  it  would  be 
difficult  to  point  out  any  just  distinction  *  between  a  species 
destroyed  by  man  or  by  the  increase  of  its  natural  enemies.  The 
evidence  of  rarity  preceding  extinction,  is  more  striking  in  the 
successive  tertiary  strata,  as  remarked  by  several  able  observers ; 
it  has  often  been  found  that  a  shell  very  common  in  a  tertiary 
stratum  is  now  most  rare,  and  has  even  long  been  thought  to  be 
*  See  the  excellent  remarks  on  this  subject  by  Mr.  Lyell,  in  his  Pria 
ciples  of  Geology. 


176  CAUSES   OF  EXTIXCTIOX.  [CHAP.  Tin. 

extinct.  If  then,  as  appears  probable,  species  first  become  rare 
and  then  extinct — if  the  too  rapid  increase  of  every  species,  even 
the  most  favoured,  is  steadily  checked,  as  we  must  admit,  though 
how  and  when  it  is  hard  to  say — and  if  we  see,  without  the  smallest 
surprise,  though  unable  to  assign  the  precise  reason,  one  species 
abundant  and  another  closely-allied  species  rare  in  the  same  dis- 
trict— why  should  we  feel  such  great  astonishment  at  the  rarity 
being  carried  a  step  further  to  extinction  ?  An  action  going  on, 
on  every  side  of  us,  and  yet  barely  appreciable,  might  surely  be 
carried  a  little  further,  without  exciting  our  observation.  Who 
would  feel  any  great  surprise  at  hearing  that  the  Megalonyx  was 
formerly  rare  compared  with  the  Megatherium,  or  that  one  of 
the  fossil  monkeys  was  few  in  number  compared  with  one  of  the 
now  living  monkeys?  and  yet  in  this  comparative  rarity,  we 
should  have  the  plainest  evidence  of  less  favourable  conditions 
for  their  existence.  To  admit  that  species  generally  become 
rare  before  they  become  extinct — to  feel  no  surprise  at  the  com- 
parative rarity  of  one  species  with  another,  and  yet  to  call  in 
some  extraordinary  agent  and  to  marvel  greatly  when  a  species 
ceases  to  exist,  appears  to  me  much  the  same  as  to  admit  that 
sickness  in  the  individual  is  the  prelude  to  death — to  feel  no  sur- 
prise at  sickness — but  when  the  sick  man  dies  to  wonder,  and 
to  believe  that  he  died  through  violence. 


1834.]  EXPLORING   THE   SANTA   CKUZ.  177 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Santa  Cruz — Expedition  up  the  River — Indians — Immense  streams  of 
basaltic  lava — Fragments  not  transported  by  the  River — Excavation  of 
the  valley — Condor,  habits  of — Cordillera — Erratic  boulders  of  great  size 
— Indian  relics — Return  to  the  ship — Falkland  Islands— Wild  horses, 
cattle,  rabbits — Wolf-like  fox — Fire  made  of  bones — Manner  of  hunting 
wild  cattle — Geology — Streams  of  stones — Scenes  of  violence — Penguin — 
Geese — Eggs  of  Doris — Compound  animals. 

SANTA    CRUZ,   PATAGONIA,    AND    THE    FALKLAND    ISLANDS. 

April  13th,  1834.— The  Beagle  anchored  within  the  mouth  of 
the  Santa  Cruz.  This  river  is  situated  about  sixty  miles  south  of 
Port  St.  Julian.  During  the  last  voyage  Captain  Stokes  pro- 
ceeded thirty  miles  up  it,  but  then,  from  the  want  of  provisions, 
was  obliged  to  return.  Excepting  what  was  discovered  at  that 
time,  scarcely  anything  was  known  about  this  large  river.  Cap- 
tain Fitz  Roy  now  determined  to  follow  its  course  as  far  as  time 
would  allow.  On  the  18th  three  whale-boats  started,  carrying 
three  weeks'  provisions ;  and  the  party  consisted  of  twenty-five 
souls — a  force  which  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  defied  a 
host  of  Indians.  With  a  strong  flood-tide  and  a  fine  day  we 
made  a  good  run,  soon  drank  some  of  the  fresh  water,  and  were 
at  night  nearly  above  the  tidal  influence. 

The  river  here  assumed  a  size  and  appearance  which,  even  at 
the  highest  point  we  ultimately  reached,  was  scarcely  diminished. 
It  was  generally  from  three  to  four  hundred  yards  broad,  and  in 
the  middle  about  seventeen  feet  deep.  The  rapidity  of  the  cur- 
rent, which  in  its  whole  course  runs  at  the  rate  of  from  four  to 
six  knots  an  hour,  is  perhaps  its  most  remarkable  feature.  The 
water  is  of  a  fine  blue  colour,  but  with  a  slight  milky  tinge,  and 
not  so  transparent  as  at  first  sight  would  have  been  expected. 
It  flows  over  a  bed  of  pebbles,  like  those  which  compose  the 
beach  and  the  surrounding  plains.  It  runs  in  a  winding  course 
through  a  valley,  which  extends  in  a  direct  line  westward.  This 


178  S.   CRUZ,   PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  rx. 

valley  varies  from  five  to  ten  miles  in  breadth ;  it  is  bounded  by 
step-formed  terraces,  which  rise  in  most  parts,  one  above  the 
other,  to  the  height  of  five  hundred  feet,  and  have  on  the  oppo- 
site sides  a  remarkable  correspondence. 

April  19th. — Against  so  strong  a  current  it  was,  of  course, 
quite  impossible  to  row  or  sail :  consequently  the  three  boats 
were  fastened  together  head  and  stern,  two  hands  left  in  each, 
and  the  rest  came  on  shore  to  track.  As  the  general  arrange- 
ments made  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy  were  very  good  for  facilitating 
the  work  of  all,  and  as  all  had  a  share  in  it,  I  will  describe  the 
system.  The  party,  including  every  one,  was  divided  into  two 
spells,  each  of  which  hauled  at  the  tracking  line  alternately  for 
an  hour  and  a  half.  The  officers  of  each  boat  lived  with,  ate  the 
same  food,  and  slept  in  the  same  tent  with  their  crew,  so  that 
each  boat  was  quite  independent  of  the  others.  After  sunset  the 
first  level  spot  where  any  bushes  were  growing,  was  chosen  for 
our  night's  lodging.  Each  of  the  crew  took  it  in  turns  to  be 
cook.  Immediately  the  boat  was  hauled  up,  the  cook  made  his 
fire ;  two  others  pitched  the  tent ;  the  coxswain  handed  the 
things  out  of  the  boat ;  the  rest  carried  them  up  to  the  tents  and 
collected  firewood.  By  this  order,  in  half  an  hour  everything 
was  ready  for  the  night.  A  watch  of  two  men  and  an  officer 
was  always  kept,  whose  duty  it  was  to  look  after  the  boats,  keep 
up  the  fire,  and  guard  against  Indians.  Each  in  the  party  had 
his  one  hour  every  night. 

During  this  day  we  tracked  but  a  short  distance,  for  there 
were  many  islets,  covered  by  thorny  bushes,  and  the  channels 
between  them  were  shallow.  • 

April  20th.— We  passed  the  islands  and  set  to  work.  Oui 
regular  day's  march,  although  it  was  hard  enough,  carried  us  on 
an  average  only  ten  miles  in  a  straight  line,  and  perhaps  fifteen 
or  twenty  altogether.  Beyond  the  place  where  we  slept  last 
night,  the  country  is  completely  terra  incognita,  for  it  was  there 
that  Captain  Stokes  turned  back.  We  saw  in  the  distance  a 
great  smoke,  and  found  the  skeleton  of  a  horse,  so  we  knew  that 
Indians  were  in  the  neighbourhood.  On  the  next  morning  (21st) 
tracks  of  a  party  of  horse,  and  marks  left  by  the  trailing  of  the 
chuzos,  or  long  spears,  were  observed  on  the  ground.  It  was 
generally  thought  that  the  Indians  had  reconnoitred  us  during 


1834.]  ZOOLOGY.  179 

the  night.  Shortly  afterwards  we  came  to  a  spot  where,  from 
the  fresh  footsteps  of  men,  children,  and  horses,  it  was  evident 
that  the  party  had  crossed  the  river. 

April  22d. — The  country  remained  the  same,  and  was  ex- 
tremely uninteresting.  The  complete  similarity  of  the  produc- 
tions throughout  Patagonia  is  one  of  its  most  striking  characters. 
The  level  plains  of  arid  shingle  support  the  same  stunted  and 
dwarf  plants ;  and  in  the  valleys  the  same  thorn-bearing  bushes 
grow.  Everywhere  we  see  the  same  birds  and  insects.  Even 
the  very  banks  of  the  river  and  of  the  clear  streamlets  which 
entered  it,  were  scarcely  enlivened  by  a  brighter  tint  of  green. 
The  curse  of  sterility  is  on  the  land,  and  the  water  flowing  over 
a  bed  of  pebbles  partakes  of  the  same  curse.  Hence  the  number 
of  waterfowl  is  very  scanty ;  for  there  is  nothing  to  support 
life  in  the  stream  of  this  barren  river. 

Patagonia,  poor  as  she  is  in  some  respects,  can  however  boast 
of  a  greater  stock  of  small  rodents  *  than  perhaps  any  other 
country  in  the  world.  Several  species  of  mice  are  externally 
characterized  by  large  thin  ears  and  a  very  tine  fur.  These 
little  animals  swarm  amongst  the  thickets  in  the  valleys,  where 
they  cannot  for  months  together  taste  a  drop  of  water  excepting 
the  dew.  They  all  seem  to  be  cannibals ;  for  no  sooner  was  a 
mouse  caught  in  one  of  my  traps  than  it  was  devoured  by  others. 
A  small  and  delicately-shaped  fox,  which  is  likewise  very  abun- 
Jant,  probably  derives  its  entire  support  from  these  small  animals. 
The  guanaco  is  also  in  his  proper  district ;  herds  of  fifty  or  a 
hundred  were  common  ;  and,  as  I  have  stated,  we  saw  one  which 
must  have  contained  at  least  five  hundred.  The  puma,  with  the 
condor  and  other  carrion-hawks  in  its  train,  follows  and  preys 
upon  these  animals.  The  footsteps  of  the  puma  were  to  be  seen 
almost  everywhere  on  the  banks  of  the  river  ;  and  the  remains 
of  several  guanacos,  with  their  necks  dislocated  and  bones  broken, 
showed  how  they  had  met  their  death. 

April  24th. — Like  the  navigators  of  old  when  approaching  an 
unknown  land,  we  examined  and  watched  for  the  most  trivial 

*  The  deserts  of  Syria  are  characterized,  according  to  Volney  (torn,  i., 
p.  351),  by  woody  bushes,  numerous  rats,  gazelles,  and  hares.  In  the  land- 
scape of  Patagonia,  the  guanaco  replaces  the  gazelle,  and  the  agouti  thf 


fiare. 


180  S.   CRUZ,   PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  ix. 

sign  of  a  change.  The  drifted  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  a  boulder  of 
primitive  rock,  was  hailed  with  joy,  as  if  we  had  seen  a  forest 
growing  on  the  flanks  of  the  Cordillera.  The  top,  however,  of  a 
heavy  bank  of  clouds,  which  remained  almost  constantly  in  one 
position,  was  the  most  promising  sign,  and  eventually  turned  out 
a  true  harbinger.  At  first  the  clouds  were  mistaken  for  the  moun- 
tains themselves,  instead  of  the  masses  of  vapour  condensed  by 
their  icy  summits. 

April  26th. — We  this  day  met  with  a  marked  change  in  the 
geological  structure  of  the  plains.  From  the  first  starting  I  had 
carefully  examined  the  gravel  in  the  river,  and  for  the  two  last  days 
had  noticed  the  presence  of  a  few  small  pebbles  of  a  very  cellular 
basalt.  These  gradually  increased  in  number  and  in  size,  but 
none  were  as  large  as  a  man's  head.  This  morning,  however, 
pebbles  of  the  same  rock,  but  more  compact,  suddenly  became 
abundant,  and  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour  we  saw,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  five  or  six  miles,  the  angular  edge  of  a  great  basaltic 
platform.  When  we  arrived  at  its  base  we  found  the  stream 
bubbling  among  the  fallen  blocks.  For  the  next  twenty-eight 
miles  the  river-course  was  encumbered  with  these  basaltic  masses. 
Above  that  limit  immense  fragments  of  primitive  rocks,  derived 
from  the  surrounding  boulder-formation,  were  equally  numerous. 
None  of  the  fragments  of  any  considerable  size  had  been  washed 
more  than  three  or  four  miles  down  the  river  below  their  parent- 
source  :  considering  the  singular  rapidity  of  the  great  body  of 
water  in  the  Santa  Cruz,  and  that  no  still  reaches  occur  in  any 
part,  this  example  is  a  most  striking  one,  of  the  inefficiency  of 
rivers  in  transporting  even  moderately-sized  fragments. 

The  basalt  is  only  lava,  which  has  flowed  beneath  the  sea ;  but 
the  eruptions  must  have  been  on  the  grandest  scale.  At  the 
point  where  we  first  met  this  formation  it  was  120  feet  in  thick- 
ness ;  following  up  the  river  course,  the  surface  imperceptibly 
rose  and  the  mass  became  thicker,  so  that  at  forty  miles  above 
the  first  station  it  was  320  feet  thick.  What  the  thickness  may 
be  close  to  the  Cordillera,  I  have  no  means  of  knowing,  but  the 
platform  there  attains  a  height  of  about  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea :  we  must  therefore  look  to  the  moun- 
tains of  that  great  chain  for  its  source  ;  and  worthy  of  such  a  source 
are  streams,  that  have  flowed  over  the  gently  inclined  bed  of  thr 


1834.]  EXCAVATION   OF   THE   VALLEY.  181 

sea  to  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  At  the  first  glance  of 
the  basaltic  cliffs  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  valley,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  strata  once  were  united.  What  power,  then,  has 
removed  along  a  whole  line  of  country,  a  solid  mass  of  very 
hard  rock,  which  had  an  average  thickness  of  nearly  three  hun- 
dred feet,  and  a  breadth  varying  from  rather  less  than  two  miles 
to  four  miles  ?  The  river,  though  it  has  so  little  power  in  trans- 
porting even  inconsiderable  fragments,  yet  in  the  lapse  of  ages 
might  produce  by  its  gradual  erosion  an  effect,  of  which  it  is 
difficult  to  judge  the  amount.  But  in  this  case,  independently 
of  the  insignificance  of  such  an  agency,  good  reasons  can  be 
assigned  for  believing  that  this  valley  was  formerly  occupied  by 
an  arm  of  the  sea.  It  is  needless  in  this  work  to  detail  the  argu- 
ments leading  to  this  conclusion,  derived  from  the  form  and  the 
nature  of  the  step-formed  terraces  on  both  sides  of  the  valley, 
from  the  manner  in  which  the  bottom  of  the  valley  near  the 
Andes  expands  into  a  great  estuary-like  plain  with  sand-hillocks 
on  it,  and  from  the  occurrence  of  a  few  sea-shells  lying  in  the 
bed  of  the  river.  If  I  had  space  I  could  prove  that  South  Ame- 
rica was  formerly  here  cut  off  by  a  strait,  joining  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  oceans,  like  that  of  Magellan.  But  it  may  yet  be 
asked,  how  has  the  solid  basalt  been  removed?  Geologists 
formerly  would  have  brought  into  play,  the  violent  action  of 
some  overwhelming  debacle ;  but  in  this  case  such  a  supposition 
would  have  been  quite  inadmissible ;  because,  the  same  step-like 
plains  with  existing  sea-shells  lying  on  their  surface,  which  front 
the  long  line  of  the  Patagonian  coast,  sweep  up  on  each  side  of 
the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz.  No  possible  action  of  any  flood 
could  thus  have  modelled  the  land,  either  within  the  valley 
or  along  the  open  coast ;  and  by  the  formation  of  such  step- 
like  plains  or  terraces  the  valley  itself  has  been  hollowed  out. 
Although  we  know  that  there  are  tides,  which  run  within  the 
Narrows  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan  at  the  rate  of  eight  knots  an 
hour,  yet  we  must  confess  that  it  makes  the  head  almost  giddy 
to  reflect  on  the  number  of  years,  century  after  century,  which  the 
tides,  unaided  by  a  heavy  surf,  must  have  required  to  have  cor- 
roded so  vast  an  area  and  thickness  of  solid  basaltic  lava.  Ne- 
vertheless, we  must  believe  that  the  strafa  undermined  by  the 
waters  of  this  ancient  strait.  wc"-e  broken  up  into  huge  frag- 


182  S.   CRUZ,   PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  ix. 

ments,  and  these  lying  scattered  on  the  beach,  were  reduced  first 
to  smaller  blocks,  then  to  pebbles,  and  lastly  to  the  most  impal- 
pable mud,  which  the  tides  drifted  far  into  the  Eastern  or 
Western  Ocean. 

With  the  change  in  the  geological  structure  of  the  plains  the 
character  of  the  landscape  likewise  altered.  While  rambling 
up  some  of  the  narrow  and  rocky  defiles,  I  could  almost  have 
fancied  myself  transported  back  again  to  the  barren  valleys  01 
the  island  of  St.  Jago.  Among  the  basaltic  cliffs,  I  found  some 
plants  which  I  had  seen  nowhere  else,  but  others  I  recognised  as 
being  wanderers  from  Tierra  del  Fuego.  These  porous  rocks 
serve  as  a  reservoir  for  the  scanty  rain-water  ;  and  consequently 
on  the  line  where  the  igneous  and  sedimentary  formations  unite, 
some  small  springs  (most  rare  occurrences  in  Patagonia)  burst 
forth ;  and  they  could  be  distinguished  at  a  distance  by  the  cir- 
cumscribed patches  of  bright  green  herbage. 

April  21th. — The  bed  of  the  river  became  rather  narrower, 
and  hence  the  stream  more  rapid.  It  here  ran  at  the  rate  of  six 
knots  an  hour.  From  this  cause,  and  from  the  many  great 
angular  fragments,  tracking  the  boats  became  both  dangerous 
and  laborious. 

This  day  I  shot  a  condor.  It  measured  from  tip  to  tip  of  the 
wings,  eight  and  a  half  feet,  and  from  beak  to  tail,  four  feet. 
This  bird  is  known  to  have  a  wide  geographical  range,  being 
found  on  the  west  coast  of  South  America,  from  the  Strait  of 
Magellan  along  the  Cordillera  as  far  as  eight  degrees  N.  of  the 
equator.  The  steep  cliff  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro  is  its 
northern  limit  on  the  Patagonian  coast ;  and  they  have  there 
wandered  about  four  hundred  miles  from  the  great  central  line 
of  their  habitation  in  the  Andes.  Further  south,  among  the 
bold  precipices  at  the  head  of  Port  Desire,  the  condor  is  not 
uncommon  ;  yet  only  a  few  stragglers  occasionally  visit  the  sea- 
coast.  A  line  of  cliff  near  the  mouth  of  the  Santa  Cruz  is  fre- 
quented by  these  birds,  and  about  eighty  miles  up  the  river, 
where  the  sides  of  the  valley  are  formed  by  steep  basaltic  pre- 
cipices, the  condor  reappears.  From  these  facts,  it  seems  that 
the  condors  require  perpendicular  cliffs.  In  Chile,  they  haunt, 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  the  lower  country  near  tlif 


1834.]  THE   CONDOR. 


shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  at  night  several  roost  together  in  one 
tree  ;  but  in  the  early  part  of  summer,  they  retire  to  the  most  in- 
accessible parts  of  the  inner  Cordillera,  there  to  breed  in  peace. 

With  respect  to  their  propagation,  I  was  told  by  the  country 
people  in  Chile,  that  the  condor  makes  no  sort,  of  nest,  but  in 
the  months  of  November  and  December  lays  two  large  white 
eggs  on  a  shelf  of  bare  rock.  It  is  said  that  the  young  condors 
cannot  fly  for  an  entire  year ;  and  long  after  they  are  able,  they 
continue  to  roost  by  night,  and  hunt  by  day  with  their  parents. 
The  old  birds  generally  live  in  pairs ;  but  among  the  inland  ba- 
saltic cliffs  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  I  found  a  spot,  where  scores  must 
usually  haunt.  On  coming  suddenly  to  the  brow  of  the  preci- 
pice, it  was  a  grand  spectacle  to  see  between  twenty  and  thirty 
of  these  great  birds  start  heavily  from  their  resting-place,  and 
wheel  away  in  majestic  circles.  From  the  quantity  of  dung  on 
the  rocks,  they  must  long  have  frequented  this  cliff  for  roosting 
and  breeding.  Having  gorged  themselves  with  carrion  on  the 
plains  below,  they  retire  to  these  favourite  ledges  to  digest  their 
food.  From  these  facts,  the  condor,  like  the  gallinazo,  must  to 
a  certain  degree  be  considered  as  a  gregarious  bird.  In  this 
part  of  the  country  they  live  altogether  on  the  guanacos  which 
have  died  a  natural  death,  or,  as  more  commonly  happens,  have 
been  killed  by  the  pumas.  I  believe,  from  what  I  saw  in  Patagonia, 
that  they  do  not  on  ordinary  occasions  extend  their  daily  excur- 
sions to  any  great  distance  from  their  regular  sleeping-places. 

The  condors  may  oftentimes  be  seen  at  a  great  height,  soaring 
over  a  certain  spot  in  the  most  graceful  circles.  On  some  occa- 
sions I  am  sure  that  they  do  this  only  for  pleasure,  but  on  others, 
the  Chileno  countryman  tells  you  that  they  are  watching  a  dying 
animal,  or  the  puma  devouring  its  prey.  If  the  condors  glide 
down,  and  then  suddenly  all  rise  together,  the  Chileno  knows 
that  it  is  the  puma  which,  watching  the  carcass,  has  sprung  out 
to  drive  away  the  robbers.  Besides  feeding  on  carrion,  the  con- 
dors frequently  attack  young  goats  and  lambs ;  and  the  shep- 
nerd  dogs  are  trained,  whenever  they  pass  over,  to  run  out,  and 
looking  upwards  to  bark  violently.  The  Chilenos  destroy  and 
catch  numbers.  Two  methods  are  used ;  one  is  to  place  a  car- 
cass on  a  level  piece  of  ground  within  an  enclosure  of  sticks  with 
an  opening,  and  when  the  condors  are  gorged,  to  gallop  up  OD 

13 


184  S.   CRUZ,   PATAGOXIA.  [CHAP.  ix. 

horseback  to  the  entrance,  and  thus  enclose  them :  for  when  this 
bird  has  not  space  to  run,  it  cannot  give  its  body  sufficient  mo- 
mentum to  rise  from  the  ground.  The  second  method  is  to  mark 
the  trees  in  which,  frequently  to  the  number  of  five  or  six  toge- 
ther, they  roost,  and  then  at  night  to  climb  up  and  noose  them. 
They  are  such  heavy  sleepers,  as  I  have  myself  witnessed,  that 
this  is  not  a  difficult  task.  At  Valparaiso,  I  have  seen  a  living 
condor  sold  for  sixpence,  but  the  common  price  is  eight  or  ten 
shillings.  One  which  I  saw  brought  in,  had  been  tied  with 
rope,  and  was  much  injured ;  yet,  the  moment  the  line  was  cut 
by  which  its  bill  was  secured,  although  surrounded  by  people, 
it  began  ravenously  to  tear  a  piece  of  carrion.  In  a  garden  at 
the  same  place,  between  twenty  and  thirty  were  kept  alive.  They 
were  fed  only  once  a  week,  but  they  appeared  in  pretty  good 
health.*  The  Chileno  countrymen  assert  that  the  condor  will 
live,  and  retain  its  vigour,  between  five  and  six  weeks  without 
eating :  I  cannot  answer  for  the  truth  of  this,  but  it  is  a  cruel  ex- 
periment, which  very  likely  has  been  tried. 

When  an  animal  is  killed  in  the  country,  it  is  well  known  that 
the  condors,  like  other  carrion-vultures,  soon  gain  intelligence  of 
it,  and  congregate  in  an  inexplicable  manner.  In  most  cases  it 
must  not  be  overlooked,  that  the  birds  have  discovered  their 
prey,  and  have  picked  the  skeleton  clean,  before  the  flesh  is  in 
the  least  degree  tainted.  Remembering  the  experiments  of  M. 
Audubon,  on  the  little  smelling  powers  of  carrion-hawks,  I  tried 
in  the  above-mentioned  garden  the  following  experiment :  the 
condors  were  tied,  each  by  a  rope,  in  a  long  row  at  the  bottom 
of  a  wall ;  and  having  folded  up  a  piece  of  meat  in  white  paper, 
I  walked  backwards  and  forwards,  carrying  it  in  my  hand  at  the 
distance  of  about  three  yards  from  them,  but  no  notice  whatever 
was  taken.  I  then  threw  it  on  the  ground,  within  one  yard  of 
an  old  male  bird ;  he  looked  at  it  for  a  moment  with  attention, 
but  then  regarded  it  no  more.  With  a  stick  I  pushed  it  closer 
and  closer,  until  at  last  he  touched  it  with  his  beak ;  the  paper 
was  then  instantly  torn  off  with  fury,  and  at  the  same  moment, 
every  bird  in  the  long  row  began  struggling  and  flapping  its 

*  I  noticed  that  several  hours  before  any  one  of  the  condors  died,  all  the 
lice,  with  which  it  was  infested,  crawled  tc  the  outside  feathers.  I  was 
issnreil  that  this  alwavs  happened. 


1834.]  CARRION-VULTURES.  185 

wings.  Under  the  same  circumstances,  it  would  have  been  quite 
impossible  to  have  deceived  a  dog.  The  evidence  in  favour  of  and 
against  the  acute  smelling  powers  of  carrion- vultures  is  singu- 
larly balanced.  Professor  Owen  lias  demonstrated  that  the  olfac- 
tory nerves  of  the  turkey -buzzaid  (Cathartes  aura)  are  highly 
developed  ;  and  on  the  evening  when  Mr.  Owen's  paper  was  read 
at  the  Zoological  Society,  it  was  mentioned  by  a  gentleman  that 
he  had  seen  the  carrion-hawks  in  the  West  Indies  on  two  occa- 
sions collect  on  the  roof  of  a  house,  when  a  corpse  had  become 
offensive  from  not  having  been  buried :  in  this  case,  the  intelli- 
gence could  hardly  have  been  acquired  by  sight.  On  the  other 
hand,  besides  the  experiments  of  Audubon  and  that  one  by  my- 
self, Mr.  Bachman  has  tried  in  the  United  States  many  varied 
plans,  showing  that  neither  the  turkey-buzzard  (the  species  dis- 
sected by  Professor  Owen)  nor  the  gallinazo  find  their  food  by 
smell.  He  covered  portions  of  highly  offensive  offal  with  a  thin 
canvass  cloth,  and  strewed  pieces  of  meat  on  it ;  these  the  carrion- 
vultures  ate  up,  and  then  remained  quietly  standing,  with  their 
beaks  within  the  eighth  of  an  inch  of  the  putrid  mass,  without  dis- 
covering it.  A  small  rent  was  made  in  the  canvass,  and  the  offal 
was  immediately  discovered  ;  the  canvass  was  replaced  by  a  fresh 
piece,  and  meat  again  put  on  it,  and  was  again  devoured  by  the 
vultures  without  their  discovering  the  hidden  mass  on  which  they 
were  trampling.  These  facts  are  attested  by  the  signatures  of 
six  gentlemen,  besides  that  of  MY.  Bachman.* 

Often  when  lying  down  to  rest  on  the  open  plains,  on  looking 
upwards,  I  have  seen  carrion-hawks  sailing  through  the  air  at  a 
great  height.  Where  the  country  is  level  I  do  not  believe  a 
space  of  the  heavens,  of  more  than  fifteen  degrees  above  the  ho- 
rizon, is  commonly  viewed  with  any  attention  by  a  person  either 
walking  or  on  horseback.  If  such  be  the  case,  and  the  vulture 
is  on  the  wing  at  a  height  of  between  three  and  four  thousand 
feet,  before  it  could  come  within  the  range  of  vision,  its  distance 
in  a  straight  line  from  the  beholder's  eye,  would  be  rather  more 
than  two  British  miles.  Might  it  not  thus  readily  be  over- 
looked? When  an  animal  is  killed  by  the  sportsman  in  a  lonely 
valley,  may  he  not  all  the  while  be  watched  from  above  by  the 
sharp-sighted  bird  ?  And  will  not  the  manner  of  its  descen! 
*  London's  Magazine  of  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  vii. 


186  S.   CRUZ,   PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  ix. 

proclaim  throughout  the  district  to  the  whole  family  of  carrion- 
feeders,  that  their  prey  is  ak  hand  ? 

When  the  condors  are  wheeling  in  a  flock  round  and  round 
any  spot,  their  flight  is  beautiful.  Except  when  rising  from  the 
ground,  I  do  not  recollect  ever  having  seen  one  of  these  birds 
flap  its  wings.  Near  Lima,  I  watched  several  for  nearly  half  an 
hour,  without  once  taking  off  my  eyes :  they  moved  in  large 
curves,  sweeping  in  circles,  descending  and  ascending  without 
giving  a  single  flap.  As  they  glided  close  over  my  head,  I  in- 
tently watched  from  an  oblique  position,  the  outlines  of  the  sepa- 
rate and  great  terminal  feathers  of  each  wing ;  and  these  separate 
feathers,  if  there  had  been  the  least  vibratory  movement,  would 
have  appeared  as  if  blended  together ;  but  they  were  seen  dis- 
tinct against  the  blue  sky.  The  head  and  neck  were  moved  fre- 
quently, and  apparently  with  force ;  and  the  extended  wings 
seemed  to  form  the  fulcrum  on  which  the  movements  of  the 
neck,  body,  and  tail  acted.  If  the  bird  wished  to  descend,  the 
wings  were  for  a  moment  collapsed  ;  and  when  again  expanded 
with  an  altered  inclination,  the  momentum  gained  by  the  rapid 
descent  seemed  to  urge  the  bird  upwards  with  the  even  and 
steady  movement  of  a  paper  kite.  In  the  case  of  any  bird  soar- 
ing, its  motion  must  be  sufficiently  rapid,  so  that  the  action  of 
the  inclined  surface  of  its  body  on  the  atmosphere  may  counter- 
balance its  gravity.  Tho  force  to  keep  up  the  momentum  of  a 
body  moving  in  a  horizontal  plane  in  the  air  (in  which  there  is 
so  little  friction)  cannot  be  great,  and  this  force  is  all  that  is 
•vanted.  The  movement  of  the  neck  and  body  of  the  condor,  we 
must  suppose,  is  sufficient  for  this.  However  this  may  be,  it  is 
truly  wonderful  and  beautiful  to  see  so  great  a  bird,  hour  after 
hour,  without  any  apparent  exertion,  wheeling  and  gliding  over 
mountain  and  river. 

April  29th. — From  some  high  land  we  hailed  with  joy  the 
white  summits  of  the  Cordillera,  as  they  were  seen  occasionally 
peeping  through  their  dusky  envelope  of  clouds.  During  the 
few  succeeding  days  we  continued  to  get  on  slowly,  for  we  found 
the  river-course  very  tortuous,  and  strewed  with  immense  frag- 
ments of  various  ancient  slaty  rocks,  and  of  granite.  The  plain 
bordering  the  valley  had  here  attained  an  elevation  of  about 


1831.]  TRACES   OF   INDIANS.  187 

1100  feet  above  the  river,  and  its  character  was  much  altered. 
The  well-rounded  pebbles  of  porphyry  were  mingled  with. many 
immense  angular  fragments  of  basalt  and  of  primary  rocks.  The 
first  of  these  erratic  boulders  which  I  noticed,  was  sixty-seven  miles 
distant  from  the  nearest  mountain  ;  another  which  I  measured 
was  five  yards  square,  and  projected  five  feet  above  the  gravel. 
Its  edges  were  so  angular,  and  its  size  so  great,  that  I  at  first 
mistook  it  for  a  rock  in  situ,  and  took  out  my  compass  to  observe 
the  direction  of  its  cleavage.  The  plain  here  was  not  quite  so 
level  as  that  nearer  the  coast,  but  yet  it  betrayed  no  signs  of 
any  great  violence.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is,  I  believe, 
quite  impossible  to  explain  the  transportal  of  these  gigantic 
masses  of  rock  so  many  miles  from  their  parent-source,  on  any 
theory  except  by  that  of  floating  icebergs. 

During  the  two  last  days  we  met  with  signs  of  horses,  and  with 
several  small  articles  which  had  belonged  to  the  Indians — such  as 
parts  of  a  mantle  and  a  bunch  of  ostrich  feathers — but  they  ap- 
peared to  have  been  lying  long  on  the  ground.  Between  the  place 
where  the  Indians  had  so  lately  crossed  the  river  and  this  neigh- 
bourhood, though  so  many  miles  apart,  the  country  appears  to  be 
quite  unfrequented.  At  first,  considering  the  abundance  of  the 
guanacos,  I  was  surprised  at  this ;  but  it  is  explained  by  the 
stony  nature  of  the  plains,  which  would  soon  disable  an  unshod 
horse  from  taking  part  in  the  chace.  Nevertheless,  in  two  places 
in  this  very  central  region,  I  fouud  small  heaps  of  stones,  which 
I  do  not  think  could  have  been  accidentally  thrown  together. 
They  were  placed  on  points,  projecting  over  the  edge  of  the 
highest  lava  cliff,  and  they  resembled,  but  on  a  small  scale,  those 
near  Port  Desire. 

May  4th.  —  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  take  the  boats  no 
higher.  The  river  had  a  winding  course,  and  was  very  rapid  ; 
and  the  appearance  of  the  country  offered  no  temptation  to  pro- 
ceed any  further.  Everywhere  we  met  with  the  same  produc- 
tions, and  the  same  dreary  landscape.  We  were  now  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  distant  from  the  Atlantic,  and  about  sixty 
from  the  nearest  arm  of  the  Pacific.  The  valley  in  this  upper 
part  expanded  into  a  wide  basin,  bounded  on  the  north  and  south 
by  the  basaltic  platforms,  and  fronted  by  the  long  range  of  the 
snow-clad  Cordillera.  But  we  viewed  these  grand  mountaiaf 


188  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.       •  [CHAP,  ix 

with  regret,  for  we  were  obliged  to  imagine  their  nature  and  pro- 
ductions, instead  of  standing,  as  we  had  hoped,  on  their  summits. 
Besides  the  useless  loss  of  time  which  an  attempt  to  ascend  the 
river  any  higher  would  have  cost  us,  we  had  already  been  for 
some  days  on  half  allowance  of  bread.  This,  although  really 
enough  for  reasonable  men,  was,  after  a  hard  day's  march,  rather 
scanty  food :  a  light  stomach  and  an  easy  digestion  are  good 
things  to  talk  about,  but  very  unpleasant  in  practice. 

5th. — Before  sunrise  we  commenced  our  descent.  We  shot 
down  the  stream  with  great  rapidity,  generally  at  the  rate  often 
knots  an  hour.  In  this  one  day  we  effected  what  had  cost  us 
five-and-a-half  hard  days'  labour  in  ascending.  On  the  8th,  we 
reached  the  Beagle  after  our  twenty-one  days'  expedition.  Every 
one,  excepting  myself,  had  cause  to  be  dissatisfied ;  but  to  rne 
the  ascent  afforded  a  most  interesting  section  of  the  great  tertiary 
formation  of  Patagonia. 


On  March  1st,  1833,  and  again  on  March  16th,  1834,  the  Beagle 
anchored  in  Berkeley  Sound,  in  East  Falkland  Island.  This  archi- 
pelago is  situated  in  nearly  the  same  latitude  with  the  mouth  of 
the  Strait  of  Magellan ;  it  covers  a  space  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  by  sixty  geographical  miles,  and  is  a  little  more  than  half 
the  size  of  Ireland.  After  the  possession  of  these  miserable 
islands  had  been  contested  by  France,  Spain,  and  England,  they 
were  left  uninhabited.  The  government  of  Buenos  Ayres  then 
sold  them  to  a  private  individual,  but  likewise  used  them,  as  old 
Spain  had  done  before,  for  a  penal  settlement.  England  claimed 
her  right  and  seized  them.  The  Englishman  who  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  flag  was  consequently  murdered.  A  British  officer 
was  next  sent,  unsupported  by  any  power :  and  when  we  ar- 
rived,  we  found  him  in  charge  of  a  population,  of  which  rather 
more  than  half  were  runaway  rebels  and  murderers. 

The  theatre  is  worthy  of  the  scenes  acted  on  it.  An  undulat- 
ing land,  with  a  desolate  and  wretched  aspect,  is  everywhere 
covered  by  a  peaty  soil  and  wiry  grass,  of  one  monotonous  brown 
colour.  Here  and  there  a  peak  or  ridge  of  grey  quartz  rock 
breaks  through  the  smooth  surface.  Every  one  has  heard  of  the 
climate  of  these  regions ;  it  may  be  compared  to  that  which  is 


CHAP,  ix.]  HUNTING   WILD   CATTLE.  189 

experienced  at  the  height  of  between  one  and  two  thousand  feet, 
on  the  mountains  of  North  Wales;  having  however  less  sunshine 
and  less  frost,  but  more  wind  and  rain.* 

16th. — I  will  now  describe  a  short  excursion  which  I  made 
round  a  part  of  this  island.  In  the  morning  I  started  with  six 
horses  and  two  Gauchos:  the  latter  were  capital  men  for  the 
purpose,  and  well  accustomed  to  living  on  their  own  resources. 
The  weather  was  very  boisterous  and  cold,  with  heavy  hail-storms. 
We  got  on,  however,  pretty  well,  but,  except  the  geology,  nothing 
could  be  less  interesting  than  our  day's  ride.  The  country  is 
uniformly  the  same  undulating  moorland  ;  the  surface  being  co- 
vered by  light  brown  withered  grass  and  a  few  very  small  shrubs, 
all  springing  out  of  an  elastic  peaty  soil.  In  the  valleys  here 
and  there  might  be  seen  a  small  flock  of  wild  geese,  and  every- 
where the  ground  was  so  soft  that  the  snipe  were  able  to  feed. 
Besides  these  two  birds  there  were  few  others.  There  is  one 
main  range  of  hills,  nearly  two  thousand  feet  in  height,  and  com- 
posed of  quartz  rock,  the  rugged  and  barren  crests  of  which  gave 
us  some  trouble  to  cross.  On  the  south  side  we  came  to  the  best 
country  for  wild  cattle ;  we  met,  however,  no  great  number,  foi 
they  had  been  lately  much  harassed. 

In  the  evening  we  came  across  a  small  herd.  One  of  my  com- 
panions, St.  Jago  by  name,  soon  separated  a  fat  cow ;  he  threw 
the  bolas,  and  it  struck  her  legs,  but  failed  in  becoming  entan- 
gled. Then  dropping  his  hat  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  balls 
were  left,  while  at  full  gallop,  he  uncoiled  his  lazo,  and  after  a 
most  severe  chace,  again  came  up  to  the  cow,  and  caught  her 
round  the  horns.  The  other  Gaucho  had  gone  on  ahead  with  the 
spare  horses,  so  that  St.  Jago  had  some  difficulty  in  killing  the 
furious  beast.  He  managed  to  get  her  on  a  level  piece  of  ground, 
by  taking  advantage  of  her  as  often  as  she  rushed  at  him ;  and 
when  she  would  not  move,  my  horse,  from  having  been  trained, 
would  canter  up,  and  with  his  chest  give  her  a  violent  push.  But  » 

*  From  accounts  published  since  our  voyage,  and  more  especially  from 
several  interesting  letters  from  Capt.  Sulivan,  K.N.,  employed  on  the  survey, 
it  appears  that  we  took  an  exaggerated  view  of  the  badness  of  the  climate 
of  these  islands.  But  when  1  reflect  on  the  almost  universal  covering  of 
peat,  and  on  the  fact  of  wheat  seldom  ripening  here,  I  can  hardly  believe 
that  the  climate  in  summer  is  so  fine  aud  dry  as  it  has  lately  been  repre- 
sented 


190  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  rx. 

when  on  level  ground  it  does  not  appear  an  easy  job  for  one  man 
to  kill  a  beast  mad  with  terror.  Nor  would  it  be  so,  if  the  horse,  , 
when  left  to  itself  without  its  rider,  did  not  soon  learn,  for  its 
own  safety,  to  keep  the  lazo  tight ;  so  that,  if  the  cow  or  ox 
moves  forward,  the  horse  moves  just  as  quickly  forward ;  other- 
wise, it  stands  motionless  leaning  on  one  side.  This  horse,  how- 
ever, was  a  young  one,  and  would  not  stand  still,  but  ga^  e  in  to 
the  cow  as  she  struggled.  It  was  admirable  to  see  with  what 
dexterity  St.  Jago  dodged  behind  the  beast,  till  at  last  he  con- 
trived to  give  the  fatal  touch  to  the  main  tendon  of  the  hind  leg  ; 
after  which,  without  much  difficulty,  he  drove  his  knife  into  the 
head  of  the  spinal  marrow,  and  the  cow  dropped  as  if  struck  by 
lightning.  He  cut  off  pieces  of  flesh  with  the  skin  to  it,  but 
without  any  bones,  sufficient  for  our  expedition.  We  then  rode 
on  to  our  sleeping- place,  and  had  for  supper  '  carne  con  cuero,' 
or  meat  roasted  with  the  skin  on  it.  This  is  as  superior  to  com- 
mon beef  as  venison  is  to  mutton.  A  large  circular  piece  taken 
from  the  back  is  roasted  on  the  embers  with  the  hide  downwards 
and  in  the  form  of  a  saucer,  so  that  none  of  the  gravy  is  lost.  If 
any  worthy  alderman  had  supped  with  us  that  evening,  '  carne  con 
cuero,' without  doubt,  would  soon  have  been  celebrated  in  London. 
During  the  night  it  rained,  and  the  next  day  (17th)  was  very 
stormy,  with  much  hail  and  snow.  We  rode  across  the  island  to 
the  neck  of  land  which  joins  the  Eincon  del  Toro  (the  great 
peninsula  at  the  S. W.  extremity)  to  the  rest  of  the  island.  From 
the  great  number  of  cows  which  have  been  killed,  there  is  a 
large  proportion  of  bulls.  These  wander  about  single,  or  two 
and  three  together,  and  are  very  savage.  I  never  saw  such  mag- 
nificent beasts  ;  they  equalled  in  the  size  of  their  huge  heads  and 
necks  the  Grecian  marble  sculptures.  Capt.  Sulivan  informs 
me  that  the  hide  of  an  average-sized  bull  weighs  forty-seven 
pounds,  whereas  a  hide  of  this  weight,  less  thoroughly  dried,  is 
k  considered  as  a  very  heavy  one  at  Monte  Video.  The  young 
bulls  generally  run  away  for  a  short  distance ;  but  the  old  ones 
do  not  stir  a  step,  except  to  rush  at  man  and  horse ;  and  many 
Worses  have  been  thus  killed.  An  old  bull  crossed  a  boggy 
stream,  and  took  his  stand  on  the  opposite  side  to  us ;  we  in  vain 
tried  to  drive  him  away,  and  failing,  were  obliged  to  make  a 
large  circuit.  The  Gauchos  in  revenge  determined  to  emasculate 


CHAP,  ix.]  WILD   HORSES.  191 

him  and  render  him  for  the  future  harmless.  It  was  very  inter- 
esting to  see  how  art  completely  mastered  force.  One  lazo  was 
thrown  over  his  horns  as  he  rushed  at  the  horse,  and  another 
round  his  hind  legs :  in  a  minute  the  monster  was  stretched 
powerless  on  the  ground.  After  the  lazo  has  once  been  drawn 
tightly  round  the  horns  of  a  furious  animal,  it  does  not  at  fir.it 
appear  an  easy  thing  to  disengage  it  again  without  killing  the 
beast ;  nor,  I  apprehend,  would  it  be  so  if  the  man  was  by  him- 
aclf.  By  the  aid,  however,  of  a  second  person  throwing  his  lazo 
so  as  to  catch  both  hind  legs,  it  is  quickly  managed :  for  the 
animal,  as  long  as  its  hind  legs  are  kept  outstretched,  is  quite 
helpless,  and  the  first  man  can  with  his  hands  loosen  his  lazo  from 
the  horns,  and  then  quietly  mount  his  horse ;  but  the  moment 
the  second  man,  by  backing  ever  so  little,  relaxes  the  strain,  the 
lazo  slips  off  the  legs  of  the  struggling  beast,  which  then  rises 
free,  shakes  himself,  and  vainly  rushes  at  his  antagonist. 

During  our  whole  ride  we  saw  only  one  troop  of  wild  horses. 
These  animals,  as  well  as  the  cattle,  were  introduced  by  the 
French  in  1764,  since  which  time  both  have  greatly  increased. 
It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  the  horses  have  never  left  the  eastern 
end  of  the  island,  although  there  is  no  natural  boundary  to  pre- 
vent them  from  roaming,  and  that  part  of  the  island  is  not  more 
tempting  than  the  rest.  The  Gauchos  whom  I  asked,  though 
asserting  this  to  be  the  case,  were  unable  to  account  for  it,  ex- 
cept from  the  strong  attachment  which  horses  have  to  any  loca- 
lity to  which  they  are  accustomed.  Considering  that  the  island 
does  not  appear  fully  stocked,  and  that  there  are  no  beasts  of 
prey,  I  was  particularly  curious  to  know  what  has  checked  their 
originally  rapid  increase.  That  in  a  limited  island  some  check 
would  sooner  or  later  supervene,  is  inevitable ;  but  why  has 
the  increase  of  the  horse  been  checked  sooner  than  that  of  the 
cattle?  Capt.  S^livan  has  taken  much  pains  for  me  in  this 
inquiry.  The  Gauchos  employed  here  attribute  it  chiefly  to 
the  stallions  constantly  roaming  from  place  to  place,  and  com- 
pelling the  mares  to  accompany  them,  whether  or  not  the  young 
foals  are  able  to  follow.  One  Gaucho  told  Capt.  Sulivan  that 
he  had  watched  a  stallion  for  a  whole  hour,  violently  kicking 
Rnd  biting  a  mare  till  he  forced  her  to  leave  her  foal  to  its  late. 
Capt.  Sulivan  can  so  far  corroborate  this  curious  account,  that 


192  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  ix. 

he  has  several  times  found  young  foals  dead,  whereas  he  has 
never  found  a  dead  calf.  Moreover,  the  dead  bodies  of  full- 
grown  horses  are  more  frequently  found,  as  if  more  subject  to 
disease  or  accidents,  than  those  of  the  cattle.  From  the  softness  oi 
the  ground  their  hoofs  often  grow  irregularly  to  a  great  length, 
and  this  causes  lameness.  The  predominant  colours  are  roan  and 
iron-grey.  All  the  horses  bred  here,  both  tame  and  wild,  are 
rather  small-sized,  though  generally  in  good  condition  ;  and  they 
have  lost  so  much  strength,  that  they  are  unfit  to  be  used  in  taking 
wild  cattle  with  the  lazo  :  in  consequence,  it  is  necessary  to  go  to 
the  great  expense  of  importing  fresh  horses  from  the  Plata.  At 
some  future  period  the  southern  hemisphere  probably  will  have  its 
breed  of  Falkland  ponies,  as  the  northern  has  its  Shetland  breed. 
The  cattle,  instead  of  having  degenerated  like  the  horses, 
seem,  as  before  remarked,  to  have  increased  in  size ;  and  they 
are  much  more  numerous  than  the  horses.  Capt.  Sulivan  in- 
forms me  that  they  vary  much  less  in  the  general  form  of  their 
bodies  and  in  the  shape  of  their  horns  than  English  cattle.  In 
colour  they  differ  much ;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  circumstance, 
that  in  different  parts  of  this  one  small  island,  different  colours 
predominate.  Round  Mount  Usborne,  at  a  height  of  from  1000 
to  1500  feet  above  the  sea,  about  half  of  some  of  the  herds  are 
mouse  or  lead-coloured,  a  tint  which  is  not  common  in  other 
parts  of  the  island.  Near  Port  Pleasant  dark  brown  prevails, 
whereas  south  of  Choiseul  Sound  (which  almost  divides  the  island 
into  two  parts),  white  beasts  with  black  heads  and  feet  are  the 
most  common :  in  all  parts  black,  and  some  spotted  animals  may 
be  observed.  Capt.  Sulivan  remarks,  that  the  difference  in  the 
prevailing  colours  was  so  obvious,  that  in  looking  for  the  herds 
near  Port  Pleasant,  they  appeared  from  a  long  distance  like  black 
spots,  whilst  south  of  Choiseul  Sound  they  appeared  like  white 
spots  on  the  hill-sides.  Capt.  Sulivan  thinks  that  the  herds  do 
not  mingle ;  and  it  is  a  singular  fact,  that  the  mouse-coloured 
cattle,  though  living  on  the  high  land,  calve  about  a  month 
earlier  in  the  season  than  the  other  coloured  beasts  on  the  lower 
land.  It  is  interesting  thus  to  find  the  once  domesticated  cattle 
breaking  into  three  colours,  of  which  some  one  colour  would  in 
ill  probability  ultimately  prevail  over  the  others,  if  the  herds 
were  left  undisturbed  for  the  next  several  centuries. 


CHAP,  ix.]  WILD   RABBITS.  193 

The  rabbit  is  another  animal  which  has  been  introduced,  and 
has  succeeded  very  well ;  so  that  they  abound  over  large  parts 
of  the  island.  Yet,  like  the  horses,  they  are  confined  within 
certain  limits ;  for  ihey  have  not  crossed  the  central  chain  of 
hills,  nor  would  they  have  extended  even  so  far  as  its  base,  if,  as 
the  Gauchos  informed  me,  small  colonies  had  not  been  carried 
there.  I  should  not  have  supposed  that  these  animals,  natives  of 
northern  Africa,  could  have  existed  in  a  climate  so  humid  ao 
this,  and  which  enjoys  so  little  sunshine  that  even  wheat  ripens 
only  occasionally.  It  is  asserted  that  in  Sweden,  which  any  one 
would  have  thought  a  more  favourable  climate,  the  rabbit  cannot 
live  out  of  doors.  The  first  few  pair,  moreover,  had  here  tc 
contend  against  pre-existing  enemies,  in  the  fox  and  some  large 
hawks.  The  French  naturalists  have  considered  the  black  va- 
riety a  distinct  species,  and  called  it  Lepus  Magellanicus.*  They 
imagined  that  Magellan,  when  talking  of  an  animal  under  the 
name  of  '  conejos'  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  referred  to  this 
species;  but  he  was  alluding  to  a  small  cavy,  which  to  this  day 
is  thus  called  by  the  Spaniards.  The  Gauchos  laughed  at  the 
idea  of  the  black  kind  being  different  from  the  grey,  and  they 
said  that  at  all  events  it  had  not  extended  its  range  any  further 
than  the  grey  kind  ;  that  the  two  were  never  found  separate ; 
and  that  they  readily  bred  together,  and  produced  piebald  off- 
spring. Of  the  latter  I  now  possess  a  specimen,  and  it  is  marked 
about  the  head  differently  from  the  French  specific  description. 
This  circumstance  shows  how  cautious  naturalists  should  be  in 
making  species;  for  even  Cuvier,  on  looking  at  the  skull  of  one 
of  these  rabbits,  thought  it  was  probably  distinct ! 

The  only  quadruped  native  to  the  island  f  is  a  large  wolf-like 
fox  (Canis  antarcticus),  which  is  common  to  both  East  and 

*  Lesson's  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the  Coquille,  torn.  i.  p.  168.  All 
the  early  voyagers,  and  especially  Bougainville,  distinctly  state  that  the 
wolf-like  fox  was  the  only  native  animal  on  the  island.  The  distinction  of 
the  rabbit  as  a  species,  is  taken  from  peculiarities  in  the  fur,  from  the  shape 
of  the  head,  and  from  the  shortness  of  the  ears.  I  may  here  observe  that 
the  difference  between  the  Irish  and  English  hare  rests  upon  nearly  similar 
characters,  only  more  strongly  marked. 

t  I  have  reason,  however,  to  suspect  that  there  is  a  field-mouse.  The 
common  European  rat  and  mouse  have  roamed  far  from  the  habitations  of 
the  settlers.  The  common  hog  has  also  run  wild  on  one  islet :  all  are  of  a 
black  colour :  the  boars  are  very  fierce,  aud  have  great  tusks. 


194  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  ix. 

West  Falkland.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  a  peculiar  species,  and 
confined  to  this  archipelago ;  because  many  sealers,  Gauchos, 
and  Indians,  who  have  visited  these  islands,  all  maintain  that  no 
such  animal  is  found  in  any  part  of  South  America.  Molina, 
from  a  similarity  in  habits,  thought  that  this  was  the  same  with 
his  "  culpeu  ;"  *  but  I  have  seen  both,  and  they  are  quite  distinct. 
These  wolves  are  well  known,  from  Byron's  account  of  their 
lameness  and  curiosity,  which  the  sailors,  who  ran  into  the 
water  to  avoid  them,  mistook  for  fierceness.  To  this  day  their 
manners  remain  the  same.  They  have  been  observed  to  enter  a 
tent,  and  actually  pull  some  meat  from  beneath  the  head  of  a 
sleeping  seaman.  The  Gauchos  also  have  frequently  in  the 
evening  killed  them,  by  holding  out  a  piece  of  meat  in  one  hand, 
and  in  the  other  a  knife  ready  to  stick  them.  As  far  as  I  am 
aware,  there  is  no  other  instance  in  any  part  of  the  world,  of  so 
small  a  mass  of  broken  land,  distant  from  a  continent,  possessing 
so  large  an  aboriginal  quadruped  peculiar  to  itself.  Their  num- 
bers have  rapidly  decreased  ;  they  are  already  banished  from  that 
half  of  the  island  which  lies  to  the  eastward  of  the  neck  of  land 
between  St.  Salvador  Bay  and  Berkeley  Sound.  Within  a  very 
few  years  after  these  islands  shall  have  become  regularly  settled, 
in  all  probability  this  fox  will  be  classed  with  the  dodo,  as  an 
animal  which  has  perished  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

At  night  (17th)  we  slept  on  the  neck  of  land  at  the  head  of 
Choiseul  Sound,  which  forms  the  south-west  peninsula.  The 
valley  was  pretty  well  sheltered  from  the  cold  wind  ;  but  there 
was  very  little  brushwood  for  fuel.  The  Gauchos,  however,  soon 
found  what,  to  my  great  surprise,  made  nearly  as  hot  a  fire  as 
coals  ;  this  was  the  skeleton  of  a  bullock  lately  killed,  from  which 
the  flesh  had  been  picked  by  the  carrion-hawks.  They  told  me 
that  in  winter  they  often  killed  a  beast,  cleaned  the  flesh  from  the 
bones  with  theii  knives,  and  then  with  these  same  bones  roasted 
the  meat  for  their  suppers. 

18th. — It  rained  during  nearly  the  whole  day.  At  night  we 
managed,  however,  with  our  saddle-cloths  to  keep  ourselves 
pretty  well  dry  and  warm  ;  but  the  ground  on  which  we  slept 
was  on  each  occasion  nearly  in  the  state  of  a  bog,  and  there  was 

*  The  "culpeu"  is  the  Cauls  Magellanicus  brought  home  by  Captain 
King  from  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  it  is  common  in  Chile. 


CHAP,  ix.]  ART   IN   MAKING   A   FIRE.  195 

not  a  dry  spot  to  sit  down  on  after  our  day's  ride.  I  have  in 
another  part  stated  how  singular  it  is  that  there  should  be  abso- 
lutely no  trees  on  these*  islands,  although  Tierra  del  Fuego  is 
covered  by  one  large  forest.  The  largest  bush  in  the  island 
(belonging  to  the  family  of  Composite)  is  scarcely  so  tall  as  our 
gorse.  The  best  fuel  is  afforded  by  a  green  little  bush  about 
the  size  of  common  heath,  which  has  the  useful  property  of 
burning  while  fresh  and  green.  It  was  very  surprising  to  see 
the  Gauchos,  in  the  midst  of  rain  and  everything  soaking  wet, 
with  nothing  more  than  a  tinder-box  and  piece  of  rag,  immedi- 
ately make  a  fire.  They  sought  beneath  the  tufts  of  grass  and 
bushes  for  a  few  dry  twigs,  and  these  they  rubbed  into  fibres ; 
then  surrounding  them  with  coarser  twigs,  something  like  a 
bird's  nest,  they  put  the  rag  with  its  spark  of  fire  in  the  middle 
and  covered  it  up.  The  nest  being  then  held  up  to  the  wind,  by 
degrees  it  smoked  more  and  more,  and  at  last  burst  out  in  flames. 
I  do  not  think  any  other  method  would  have  had  a  chance  of 
succeeding  with  such  damp  materials. 

19th. — Each  morning,  from  not  having  ridden  for  some  time 
previously,  I  was  very  stiff.  I  was  surprised  to  hear  the  Gauchos, 
who  have  from  infancy  almost  lived  on  horseback,  say  that, 
under  similar  circumstances,  they  always  suffer.  St.  Jago  told 
me,  that  having  been  confined  for  three  months  by  illness,  he 
went  out  hunting  wild  cattle,  and  in  consequence,  for  the  next 
two  days,  his  thighs  were  so  stiff'  that  he  was  obliged  to  lie  in 
bed.  This  shows  that  the  Gauchos,  although  they  do  not  appear 
to  do  so,  yet  really  must  exert  much  muscular  effort  in  riding. 
The  hunting  wild  cattle,  in  a  country  so  difficult  to  pass  as  this 
is  on  account  of  the  swampy  ground,  must  be  very  hard  work. 
The  Gauchos  say  they  often  pass  at  full  speed  over  ground  which 
would  be  impassable  at  a  slower  pace ;  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
man  is  able  to  skate  over  thin  ice.  When  hunting,  the  party 
endeavours  to  get  as  close  as  possible  to  the  herd  without  being 
discovered.  Each  man  carries  four  or  five  pair  of  the  bolas ; 
these  he  throws  one  after  the  other  at  as  many  cattle,  which, 
when  once  entangled,  are  left  for  some  days,  till  they  become  a 
little  exhausted  by  hunger  and  struggling.  They  are  then  let 
free  and  driven  towards  a  small  herd  of  tame  animals,  which 
have  been  brought  to  the  spot  on  purpose.  From  their  previous 


196  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  ix. 

treatment,  being  too  much  terrified  to  leave  the  herd,  they  ar 
easily  driven,  if  their  strength  last  out,  to  the  settlement. 

The  weather  continued  so  very  bad  that  we  determined  to 
make  a  push,  and  try  to  reach  the  vessel  before  night.  From 
the  quantity  of  rain  which  had  fallen,  the  surface  of  the  whole 
country  was  swampy.  I  suppose  my  horse  fell  at  least  a  dozen 
times,  and  sometimes  the  whole  six  horses  were  floundering  in  the 
mud  together.  All  the  little  streams  are  bordered  by  soft  peat, 
which  makes  it  very  difficult  for  the  horses  to  leap  them  without 
falling.  To  complete  our  discomforts  we  were  obliged  to  cross 
the  head  of  a  creek  of  the  sea,  in  which  the  water  was  as  high 
as  our  horses'  backs  ;  and  the  little  waves,  owing  to  the  violence 
of  the  wind,  broke  over  us,  and  made  us  very  wet  and  cold. 
Even  the  iron-framed  Gauchos  professed  themselves  glad  when 
they  reached  the  settlement,  after  our  little  excursion. 

The  geological  structure  of  these  islands  is  in  most  respects 
simple.  The  lower  country  consists  of  clay-slate  and  sandstone, 
containing  fossils,  very  closely  related  to,  but  not  identical  with, 
those  found  in  the  Silurian  formations  of  Europe  ;  the  hills  are 
formed  of  white  granular  quartz  rock.  The  strata  of  the  latter 
are  frequently  arched  with  perfect  symmetry,  and  the  appearance 
of  some  of  the  masses  is  in  consequence  most  singular.  Pernety* 
has  devoted  several  pages  to  the  description  of  a  Hill  of  Ruins, 
the  successive  strata  of  which  he  has  justly  compared  to  the  seats 
of  an  amphitheatre.  The  quartz  rock  must  have  been  quite  pasty 
when  it  underwent  such  remarkable  flexures  without  being 
shattered  into  fragments.  As  the  quartz  insensibly  passes  into 
the  sandstone,  it  seems  probable  that  the  former  owes  its  origin 
to  the  sandstone  having  been  heated  to  such  a  degree  that  it 
became  viscid,  and  upon  cooling  crystallized.  While  in  the  soft 
state  it  must  have  been  pushed  up  through  the  overlying 
beds. 

In  many  parts  of  the  island  the  bottoms  of  the  valleys  are 
covered  in  an  extraordinary  manner  by  myriads  of  great  locse  an- 
gular fragments  of  the  quartz  rock,  forming  "  streams  of  stones." 
These  have  been  mentioned  with  surprise  by  every  voyager  since 
the  time  of  Pernety.  The  blocks  are  not  waterworn,  theii 
*  Pernety,  Voyage  aux  Isles  Malouines,  p.  526 


CHAP,  ix.]  STREAMS   OF   STONES.  197 

angles  being  only  a  little  blunted ;  they  vary  in  size  from  one  or 
two  feet  in  diameter  to  ten,  or  even  more  than  twenty  times  as 
much.  They  are  not  thrown  together  into  irregular  piles,  but 
are  spread  out  into  level  sheets  or  great  streams.  It  is  not  pos- 
sible to  ascertain  their  thickness,  but  the  water  of  small  stream- 
lets can  be  heard  trickling  through  the  stones  many  feet  below 
the  surface.  The  actual  depth  is  probably  great,  because  the 
crevices  between  the  lower  fragments  must  long  ago  have  been 
filled  up  with  sand.  The  width  of  these  sheets  of  stones  varies 
from  a  few  hundred  feet  to  a  mile ;  but  the  peaty  soil  daily  en- 
croaches on  the  borders,  and  even  forms  islets  wherever  a  few 
fragments  happen  to  lie  close  together.  In  a  valley  south  of 
Berkeley  Sound,  which  some  of  our  party  called  the  "  great 
valley  of  fragments,"  it  was  necessary  to  cross  an  uninterrupted 
band  half  a  mile  wide,  by  jumping  from  one  pointed  stone  to 
another.  So  large  were  the  fragments,  that  being  overtaken 
by  a  shower  of  rain,  I  readily  found  shelter  beneath  one  of 
them. 

Their  little  inclination  is  the  most  remarkable  circumstance 
in  these  "  streams  of  stones."  On  the  hill-sides  I  have  seen 
them  sloping  at  an  angle  of  ten  degrees  with  the  horizon  ;  but  in 
some  of  the  level,  broad-bottomed  valleys,  the  inclination  is  only 
just  sufficient  to  be  clearly  perceived.  On  so  rugged  a  surface 
there  was  no  means  of  measuring  the  angle  ;  but  to  give  a  common 
illustration,  I  may  say  that  the  slope  would  not  have  checked 
the  speed  of  an  English  mail-coach.  In  some  places,  a  con- 
tinuous stream  of  these  fragments  followed  up  the  course  of  a 
valley,  and  even  extended  1o  the  very  crest  of  the  hill.  On  these 
crests  huge  masses,  exceeding  in  dimensions  any  .small  building, 
seemed  to  stand  arrested  in  their  headlong  course :  there,  also, 
the  curved  strata  of  the  archways  lay  piled  on  each  other,  like 
the  ruins  of  some  vast  and  ancient  cathedral.  In  endeavouring 
to  describe  these  scenes  of  violence  one  is  tempted  to  pass  from 
one  simile  to  another.  We  may  imagine  that  streams  of  white 
lava  had  flowed  from  many  parts  of  the  mountains  into  the  lower 
country,  and  that  when  solidified  they  had  been  rent  by  some 
enormous  convulsion  into  myriads  of  fragments.  The  expression 
"  streams  of  stones,"  which  immediately  occurred  to  every  one, 
conveys  the  same  idea.  These  scenes  are  on  the  spot  rendered 


198  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  ix. 

more  striking  by  the  contrast  of  the  low,  rounded  forms  of  the 
neighbouring  hills. 

I  was  interested  by  finding  on  the  highest  peak  of  one  range 
(about  700  feet  above  the  sea)  a  great  arched  fragment,  lying 
on  its  convex  side,  or  back  downwards.  Must  we  believe  that  it 
was  fairly  pitched  up  in  the  air,  and  thus  turned  ?  Or,  with 
more  probability,  that  there  existed  formerly  a  part  of  the  same 
range  more  elevated  than  the  point  on  which  this  monument  of 
a  great  convulsion  of  nature  now  lies.  As  the  fragments  in  the 
valleys  are  neither  rounded  nor  the  crevices  filled  up  with  sand, 
we  must  infer  that  the  period  of  violence  was  subsequent  to  the 
land  having  been  raised  above  the  waters  of  the  sea.  In  a  trans- 
verse section  within  these  valleys,  the  bottom  is  nearly  level,  or 
rises  but  very  little  towards  either  side.  Hence  the  fragments 
appear  to  have  travelled  from  the  head  of  the  valley ;  but  in 
reality  it  seems  more  probable  that  they  have  been  hurled  down 
from  the  nearest  slopes ;  and  that  since,  by  a  vibratory  move- 
ment of  overwhelming  force,*  the  fragments  have  been  levelled 
into  one  continuous  sheet.  If  during  the  earthquake"]"  which  in 
1835  overthrew  Concepcion,  in  Chile,  it  was  thought  wonderful 
that  small  bodies  should  have  been  pitched  a  few  inches  from 
the  ground,  what  must  we  say  to  a  movement  which  has  caused 
fragments  many  tons  in  weight,  to  move  onwards  like  so  much 
sand  on  a  vibrating  board,  and  find  their  level  ?  I  have  seen,  in 
the  Cordillera  of  the  Andes,  the  evident  marks  where  stupen- 
dous mountains  have  been  broken  into  pieces  like  so  much  thin 
crust,  and  the  strata  thrown  on  their  vertical  edges ;  but  never 
did  any  scene,  like  these  "  streams  of  stones,"  so  forcibly  convey 
to  my  mind  the  idea  of  a  convulsion,  of  which  in  historical 
records  we  might  in  vain  seek  for  any  counterpart:  yet  the 
progress  of  knowledge  will  probably  some  day  give  a  simple 
explanation  of  this  phenomenon,  as  it  already  has  of  the  so  long- 

*  "  Nous  n'avons  pas  €te  moins  saisis  d'etonnement  a  la  vue  de  1'innom- 
brable  quantite  de  pierres  de  toutes  grandeurs,  bouleverse'es  les  unes  sur  les 
autres,  et  cependant  rangees,  comme  si  elles  avoient  e^e"  amoncele'es  n£gli- 
gemment  pour  rernplir  des  ravins.  On  ne  se  lassoit  pas  d'admirer  les  effets 
prodigieux  de  la  nature." — Pernety,  p.  526. 

f  An  inhabitant  of  Mendoza,  and  hence  well  capable  of  judging,  assured 
me  that,  during  the  several  years  he  had  resided  on  these  islands,  he  had 
uevcr  felt  the  slightest  shock  of  an  earthquake 


CHAP,  ix.]  HABITS   OF  SOME   BIRDS.  199 

thought  inexplicable  transportal  of  the  erratic  boulders,  which 
are  strewed  over  the  plains  of  Europe. 

I  have  little  to  remark  on  the  zoology  of  these  islands.  I  have 
before  described  the  carrion-vulture  or  Polyborus.  There  are 
some  other  hawks,  owls,  and  a  few  small  land-birds.  The  water- 
fowl are  particularly  numerous,  and  they  must  formerly,  from 
the  accounts  of  the  old  navigators,  have  been  much  more  so. 
One  day  I  observed  a  cormorant  playing  with  a  fish  which  it  had 
caught.  Eight  times  successively  the  bird  let  its  prey  go,  then 
dived  after  it,  and  although  in  deep  water,  brought  it  each  time 
to  the  surface.  In  the  Zoological  Gardens  I  have  seen  the  otter 
treat  a  fish  in  the  same  manner,  much  as  a  cat  does  a  mouse :  I 
do  not  know  of  any  other  instance  where  dame  Nature  appears 
so  wilfully  cruel.  Another  day,  having  placed  myself  between 
a  penguin  (Aptenodytes  demersa)  and  the  water,  I  was  much 
amused  by  watching  its  habits.  It  was  a  brave  bird  ;  and  till 
reaching  the  sea,  it  regularly  fought  and  drove  me  backwards. 
Nothing  less  than  heavy  blows  would  have  stopped  him  ;  every 
inch  he  gained  he  firmly  kept,  standing  close  before  me  erect 
and  determined.  When  thus  opposed  he  continually  rolled  his 
head  from  side  to  side,  in  a  very  odd  manner,  as  if  the  power  of 
distinct  vision  lay  only  in  the  anterior  and  basal  part  of  each 
eye.  This  bird  is  commonly  called  the  jackass  penguin,  from  its 
habit,  while  on  shore,  of  throwing  its  head  backwards,  and 
making  a  loud  strange  noise,  very  like  the  braying  of  an  ass ; 
but  while  at  sea,  and  undisturbed,  its  note  is  very  deep  and 
solemn,  and  is  often  heard  in  the  night-time.  In  diving,  its 
little  wings  are  used  as  fins;  but  on  the  land,  as  front  legs. 
Wh^n  crawling,  it  may  be  said  on  four  legs,  through  the  tus- 
sucks  or  on  the  side  of  a  grassy  cliff,  it  moves  so  very  quickly 
that  it  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  quadruped.  When  at  sea 
and  fishing,  it  comes  to  the  surface  for  the  purpose  of  breathing 
with  such  a  spring,  and  dives  again  so  instantaneously,  that  I 
defy  any  one  at  first  sight  to  be  sure  that  it  was  not  a  fish  leaping 
for  sport. 

Two  kinds  of  geese  frequent  the  Falklarids.  The  upland 
species  (Anas  Magellanica)  is  common,  in  pairs  and  in  small 
tlocks,  throughout  the  island.  They  do  not  migrate,  but  build 
14 


200  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  ix. 


on  the  small  ourlying  islets.  This  is  supposed  to  be  from  fear 
of  the  foxes :  and  it  is  perhaps  from  the  same  cause  that  these 
birds,  though  very  tame  by  day,  are  shy  and  wild  in  the  dusk  of 
the  evening.  They  live  entirely  on  vegetable  matter.  The 
rock- goose,  so  called  from  living  exclusively  on  the  sea-beach 
(Anas  antarctica),  is  common  both  here  and  on  the  west  coast  oi 
America,  as  far  north  as  Chile.  In  the  deep  and  retired  channels 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  snow-white  gander,  invariably  accom- 
panied by  his  darker  consort,  and  standing  close  by  each  other  on 
some  distant  rocky  point,  is  a  common  feature  in  the  landscape. 

In  these  islands  a  great  loggerheaded  duck  or  goose  (Anas 
brachyptera),  which  sometimes  weighs  twenty-two  pounds,  is 
very  abundant.  These  birds  were  in  former  days  called,  from 
their  extraordinary  manner  of  paddling  and  splashing  upon  the 
water,  race-horses ;  but  now  they  are  named,  much  more  appro- 
priately, steamers.  Their  wings  are  too  small  and  weak  to  allow 
of  flight,  but  by  their  aid,  partly  swimming  and  partly  flapping 
the  surface  of  the  water,  they  move  very  quickly.  The  manner  is 
something  like  that  by  which  the  common  house-duck  escapes  when 
pursued  by  a  dog ;  but  I  am  nearly  sure  that  the  steamer  moves 
its  wings  alternately,  instead  of  both  together,  as  in  other  birds. 
These  clumsy,  loggerheaded  ducks  make  such  a  noise  and 
splashing,  that  the  effect  is  exceedingly  curious. 

Thus  we  find  in  South  America  three  birds  which  use  their 
wings  for  other  purposes  besides  flight ;  the  penguin  as  fins,  the 
steamer  as  paddles,  and  the  ostrich  as  sails :  and  the  Apteryx  of 
New  Zealand,  as  well  as  its  gigantic  extinct  prototype  the 
Deinornis,  possess  only  rudimentary  representatives  of  wings. 
The  steamer  is  able  to  dive  only  to  a  very  short  distance.  It 
feeds  entirely  on  shell-fish  from  the  kelp  and  tidal  rocks ;  hence 
the  beak  and  head,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  them,  are  sur- 
prisingly heavy  and  strong  :  the  head  is  so  strong  that  I  have 
scarcely  been  able  to  fracture  it  with  my  geological  hammer ; 
and  all  our  pportsmen  soon  discovered  how  tenacious  these  birds- 
were  of  life.  When  in  the  evening  pluming  themselves  in  a 
flock,  they  make  the  same  odd  mixture  of  sounds  which  bull- 
frogs do  within  the  tropics. 

In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  as  well  as  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  I  made 


CHAP,  ix.]  ZOOPHYTES.  201 

many  observations  on  the  lower  marine  animals,*  but  they  are 
of  little  general  interest.  I  will  mention  only  one  class  of  tacts, 
relating  to  certain  zoophytes  in  the  more  highly  organized  divi- 
sion of  that  class.  Several  genera  (Flustra,  Eschara,  Cellaria, 
Crisia,  and  others)  agree  in  having  singular  moveable  organs 
(like  those  of  Flustra  avicularia,  found  in  the  European  seas) 
attached  to  their  cells.  The  organ,  in  the  greater  number  of 
cases,  very  closely  resembles  the  head  of  a  vulture ;  but  the 
lower  mandible  can  be  opened  much  wider  than  in  a  real  bird's 
beak.  The  head  itself  possesses  considerable  powers  of  move- 
ment, by  means  of  a  short  neck.  In  one  zoophyte  the  head  itself 
was  fixed,  but  the  lower  jaw  free :  in  another  it  was  replaced  by 
a  triangular  hood,  with  a  beautifully-fitted  trap-door,  which  evi- 
dently answered  to  the  lower  mandible.  In  the  greater  number 
of  species,  each  cell  was  provided  with  one  head,  but  in  others 
each  cell  had  two. 

The  young  cells  at  the  end  of  the  branches  of  these  corallines 
contain  quite  immature  polypi,  yet  the  vulture-heads  attached  to 
them,  though  small,  are  in  every  respect  perfect.  When  the 
polypus  was  removed  by  a  needle  from  any  of  the  cells,  these 
organs  did  not  appear  in  the  least  affected.  When  one  of  the 
vulture-like  heads  was  cut  off  from  a  cell,  the  lower  mandible 
retained  its  power  of  opening  and  closing.  Perhaps  the  most 
singular  part  of  their  structure  is,  that  when  there  were  more 
than  two  rows  of  cells  on  a  branch,  the  central  cells  were  fur- 
nished with  these  appendages,  of  only  one-fourth  the  size  of  the 
outside  ones.  Their  movements  varied  according  to  the  species  ; 
but  in  some  I  never  saw  the  least  motion  ;  while  others,  with  the 
lower  mandible  generally  wide  open,  oscillated  backwards  and 

*  I  was  surprised  to  find,  on  counting  the  eggs  of  a  large  white  Doris 
(this  sea  slug  was  three  and  a  half  inches  long),  how  extraordinarily 
numerous  they  were.  From  two  to  five  eggs  (each  three-thousandths  of  an 
inch  in  diameter)  were  contained  in  a  spherical  little  case.  These  were 
arranged  two  deep  in  transverse  rows  forming  a  ribbon.  The  ribbon  ad- 
hered by  its  edge  to  the  rock  in  an  oval  spire.  One  which  I  found,  mea- 
sured nearly  twenty  inches  in  length  and  half  in  breadth.  By  counting  how 
many  balls  were  contained  in  a  tenth  of  an  inch  in  the  row,  and  how  many 
rows  in  an  equal  length  of  the  ribbon,  on  the  most  moderate  computation 
there  were  six  hundred  thousand  eggs.  Yet  this  Doris  was  certainly  not 
very  common :  although  I  was  often  searching  under  the  stones,  I  saw  only 
seven  individuals.  No  fallacy  is  more  common  with  naturalists,  than  that  the 
rutmbers  of  an  individual  species  depend  on  its  powers  of  propagation. 


202  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  ix. 

forwards  at  the  rate  of  about  five  seconds  each  turn  ;  others 
moved  rapidly  and  by  starts.  When  touched  with  a  needle,  the 
beak  generally  seized  the  point  so  firmly,  that  the  whole  branch 
might  be  shaken. 

These  bodies  have  no  relation  whatever  with  the  production  of 
the  eggs  or  gemmules,  as  they  are  formed  before  the  young  polypi 
appear  in  the  cells  at  the  end  of  the  growing  branches ;  as  they 
move  independently  of  the  polypi,  and  do  not  appear  to  be  in  any 
way  connected  with  them  ;  and  as  they  differ  in  size  on  the  outer 
and  inner  rows  of  cells,  I  have  little  doubt,  that  in  their  functions, 
they  are  related  rather  to  the  horny  axis  of  the  branches  than  to  the 
polypi  in  the  cells.  The  fleshy  appendage  at  the  lower  extremity 
of  the  sea-pen  (described  at  Bahia  Blanca)  also  forms  part  of  the 
zoophyte,  as  a  whole,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  roots  of  a  tree 
form  part  of  the. whole  tree,  and  not  of  the  individual  leaf  01 
flower-buds. 

In  another  elegant  little  coralline  (Crisia?),  eac'h  cell  was  fur- 
nished with  a  long-toothed  bristle,  which  had  the  power  of  moving 
quickly.  Each  of  these  bristles  and  each  of  the  vulture-like 
heads  generally  moved  quite  independently  of  the  others,  but 
sometimes  all  on  both  sides  of  a  branch,  sometimes  only  those  on 
one  side,  moved  together  coinstantaneously ;  sometimes  each 
moved  in  regular  order  one  after  another.  In  these  actions  we 
apparently  behold  as  perfect  a  transmission  of  will  in  the  zoo- 
phyte, though  composed  of  thousands  of  distinct  polypi,  as  in 
any  single  animal.  The  case,  indeed,  is  not  different  from  that 
of  the  sea-pens,  which,  when  touched,  drew  themselves  into  the 
sand  on  the  coast  of  Baliia  Blanca.  I  will  state  one  other  in- 
stance of  uniform  action,  though  of  a  very  different  nature,  in  a 
zoophyte  closely  allied  to  Clytia,  and  therefore  very  simply  or- 
ganized. Having  kept  a  large  tuft  of  it  in  a  basin  of  salt-water, 
when  it  was  dark  I  found  that  as  often  as  I  rubbed  any  part  of  a 
branch,  the  whole  became  strongly  phosphorescent  with  a  green 
light:  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  any  object  more  beautifully  so. 
But  the  remarkable  circumstance  was,  that  the  flashes  of  light 
always  proceeded  up  the  branches,  from  the  base  towards  the 
extremities. 

The  examination  of  these  compound  animals  was  always  very 
interesting  to  me.  What  can  be  more  remarkable  than  to  see  a 


CHAP,  ix.]  COMPOUND   ANIMALS.  203 

plant-like  body  producing  an  egg,  capable  of  swimming  about 
and  of  choosing  a  proper  place  to  adhere  to,  which  then  sprouts 
into  branches,  each  crowded  with  innumerable  distinct  animals, 
often  of  complicated  organizations?  The  branches,  moreover, 
as  we  have  just  seen,  sometimes  possess  organs  capable  of  move- 
ment and  independent  of  the  polypi.  Surprising  as  this  union 
of  separate  individuals  in  a  common  stock  must  always  appear, 
every  tree  displays  the  same  fact,  for  buds  must  be  considered 
as  individual  plants.  It  is,  however,  natural  to  consider  a 
polypus,  furnished  with  a  mouth,  intestines,  and  other  organs, 
as  a  distinct  individual,  whereas  the  individuality  of  a  leaf-bud  is 
not  easily  realised  ;  so  that  the  union  of  separate  individuals  in 
a  common  body  is  more  striking  in  a  coralline  than  in  a  tree. 
Our  conception  of  a  compound  animal,  where  in  some  respects 
the  individuality  of  each  is  not  completed,  may  be  aided,  by  re- 
flecting on  the  production  of  two  distinct  creatures  by  bisecting 
a  single  one  with  a  knife,  or  where  Nature  herself  performs  the 
task  of  bisection.  We  may  consider  the  polypi  in  a  zoophyte,  or 
the  buds  in  a  tree,  as  cases  where  the  division  of  the  individual  has 
not  been  completely  effected.  Certainly  in  the  case  of  trees,  and 
judging  from  analogy  in  that  of  corallines,  the  individuals  pro- 
pagated by  buds  seem  more  intimately  related  to  each  other,  than 
eggs  or  seeds  are  to  their  parents.  It  seems  now  pretty  well  esta- 
blished that  plants  propagated  by  buds  all  partake  of  a  common 
duration  of  life  ;  and  it  is  familiar  to  every  one,  what  singular 
and  numerous  peculiarities  are  transmitted  with  certainty,  by 
buds,  layers,  and  grafts,  which  by  seminal  propagation  never  or 
only  casually  reappear. 


204  TIERRA  DEt  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Tierra  del  Ftiego,  first  arrival— Good  Success  Bay — An  account  of  the 
Fuegians  on  board — Interview  with  the  savages — Scenery  of  the  forests — 
Cape  Horn— Wigwam  Cove — Miserable  condition  of  the  savages — Famines 
— Cannibals — Matricide— Religious  feelings— Great  gale— Beagle  Channel 
— Ponsouby  Sound — Build  wigwams  and  settle  the  Fuegians— Bifurcation 
of  the  Beagle  Channel — Glaciers— Return  to  the  ship— Second  visit  in 
the  Ship  to  the  Settlement — Equality  of  condition  amongst  the  natives. 

TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO. 

December  17th,  1832. — Having  now  finished  with  Patagonia 
and  the  Falkland  Islands,  I  will  describe  our  first  arrival  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego.  A  little  after  noon  we  doubled  Cape  St. 
Diego,  and  entered  the  famous  strait  of  Le  Maire.  We  kept 
close  to  the  Fuegian  shore,  but  the  outline  of  the  rugged,  inhos- 
pitable Staten-land  was  visible  amidst  the  clouds.  In  the  after- 
noon we  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Good  Success.  While  entering 
we  were  saluted  in  a  manner  becoming  the  inhabitants  of  this 
savage  land.  A  group  of  Fuegians  partly  concealed  by  the  en- 
tangled forest,  were  perched  on  a  wild  point  overhanging  the 
sea;  and  as  we  passed  by,  they  sprang  up  and  waving  their 
tattered  cloaks  sent  forth  a  loud  and  sonorous  shout.  The 
savages  followed  the  ship,  and  just  before  dark  we  saw  their  fire, 
and  again  heard  their  wild  cry.  The  harbour  consists  of  a  fine 
piece  of  water  half  surrounded  by  low  rounded  mountains  of 
clay-slate,  which  are  covered  to  the  water's  edge  by  one  dense 
gloomy  forest.  A  single  glance  at  the  landscape  was  sufficient 
to  show  me  how  widely  different  it  was  from  any  thing  I  had 
ever  beheld.  At  night  it  blew  a  gale  of  wind,  and  heavy  squalls 
from  the  mountains  swept  past  us.  It  would  have  been  a  bad 
time  out  at  sea,  and  we,  as  well  as  others,  may  call  this  Good 
Success  Bay. 

In  the  morning  the  Captain  sent  a  party  to  communicate  with 
the  Fuegians.  When  we  came  within  hail,  one  of  the  four 
natives  who  were  present  advanced  to  receive  us,  and  began  to 


CHAP,  x.]  INTERVIEW  WITH   THE   NATIVES.  205 

shout  most  vehemently,  wishing  to  direct  us  where  to  land. 
When  we  were  on  shore  the  party  looked  rather  alarmed;  but 
continued  talking  and  making  gestures  with  great  rapidity.  It 
was  without  exception  the  most  curious  and  interesting  spectacle 
I  ever  beheld :  I  could  not  have  believed  how  wide  was  the  dif- 
ference between  savage  and  civilized  man:  it  is  greater  than 
between  a  wild  and  domesticated  animal,  inasmuch  as  in  man 
there  is  a  greater  power  of  improvement.  The  chief  spokesman 
was  old,  and  appeared  to  be  the  head  of  the  family ;  the  three 
others  were  powerful  young  men,  about  six  feet  high.  The 
women  and  children  had  been  sent  away.  These  Fuegians  are  a 
very  different  race  from  the  stunted,  miserable  wretches  farther 
westward  ;  and  they  seem  closely  allied  to  the  famous  Patago- 
nians  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  Their  only  garment  consists  of 
a  mantle  made  of  guanaco  skin,  with  the  wool  outside ;  this  they 
wear  just  thrown  over  their  shoulders,  leaving  their  persons  as 
often  exposed  as  covered.  Their  skin  is  of  a  dirty  coppery  red 
colour. 

The  old  man  had  a  fillet  of  white  feathers  tied  round  his  head, 
which  partly  confined  his  black,  coarse,  and  entangled  hair. 
His  face  was  crossed  by  two  broad  transverse  bars;  one,  painted 
bright  red,  reached  from  ear  to  ear  and  included  the  upper  lip  ; 
the  other,  white  like  chalk,  extended  above  and  parallel  to  the 
first,  so  that  even  his  eyelids  were  thus  coloured.  The  other 
two  men  were  ornamented  by  streaks  of  black  powder,  made  of 
charcoal.  The  party  altogether  closely  resembled  the  devils 
which  come  on  the  stage  in  plays  like  Der  Freischutz. 

Their  very  attitudes  were  abject,  and  the  expression  of  their 
countenances  distrustful,  surprised,  and  startled.  After  we  had 
presented  them  with  some  scarlet  cloth,  which  they  immediately 
tied  round  their  necks,  they  became  good  friends.  This  was 
shown  by  the  old  man  patting  our  breasts,  and  making  a  chuck- 
ling kind  of  noise,  as  people  do  when  feeding  chickens.  I 
walked  with  the  old  man,  and  this  demonstration  of  friendship 
was  repeated  several  times ;  it  was  concluded  by  three  hard  slaps, 
which  were  given  me  on  the  breast  and  back  at  the  same  time. 
He  then  bared  his  bosom  for  me  to  return  the  compliment,  which 
being  done,  he  seemed  highly  pleased.  The  language  of  these 
people,  according  to  our  notions,  scarcely  deserves  to  be  called 


206  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

articulate.  Captain  Cook  has  compared  it  to  a  man  clearing  his 
throat,  but  certainly  no  European  ever  cleared  his  throat  with  so 
many  hoarse,  guttural,  and  clicking  sounds. 

They  are  excellent  mimics:  as  often  as  we  coughed  or  yawned, 
or  made  any  odd  motion,  they  immediately  imitated  us.  Some 
of  our  party  began  to  squint  and  look  awry ;  but  one  of  the 
young  Fuegians  (whose  whole  face  was  painted  black,  excepting 
a  white  band  across  his  eyes)  succeeded  in  making  far  more 
hideous  grimaces.  They  could  repeat  with  perfect  correctness 
each  word  in  any  sentence  we  addressed  them,  and  they  remem- 
bered such  words  for  some  time.  Yet  we  Europeans  all  know 
how  difficult  it  is  to  distinguish  apart  the  sounds  in  a  foreign 
language.  Which  of  us,  for  instance,  could  follow  an  American 
Indian  through  a  sentence  of  more  than  three  words?  All 
savages  appear  to  possess,  to  an  uncommon  degree,  this  power  ol 
mimicry.  I  was  told,  almost  in  the  same  words,  of  the  same 
ludicrous  habit  among  the  Caffres :  the  Australians,  likewise, 
have  long  been  notorious  for  being  able  to  imitate  and  describe 
the  gait  of  any  man,  so  that  he  may  be  recognised.  How  can 
this  faculty  be  explained  ?  is  it  a  consequence  of  the  more  prac- 
tised habits  of  perception  and  keener  senses,  common  to  all  men 
in  a  savage  state,  as  compared  with  those  long  civilized  ? 

"When  a  song  was  struck  up  by  our  party,  I  thought  the 
Fuegians  would  have  fallen  do\vn  with  astonishment.  With 
equal  surprise  they  viewed  our  dancing ;  but  one  of  the  young 
men,  when  asked,  had  no  objection  to  a  little  waltzing.  Little 
accustomed  to  Europeans  as  they  appeared  to  be,  yet  they  knew 
and  dreaded  our  fire-arms  ;  nothing  would  tempt  them  to  take  a 
gun  in  their  hands.  They  begged  for  knives,  calling  them  by 
the  Spanish  word  "  cuchilla.''  They  explained  also  what  they 
wanted,  by  acting  as  if  they  had  a  piece  of  blubber  in  their 
mouth,  and  then  pretending  to  cut  instead  of  tear  it. 

I  have  not  as  yet  noticed  the  Fuegians  whom  we  had  on 
board.  During  the  former  voyage  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle 
in  1826  to  1830,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  seized  on  a  party  of  natives, 
as  hostages  for  the  loss  of  a  boat,  which  had  been  stolen,  to  the 
great  jeopardy  of  a  party  employed  on  the  survey  ;  and  some  of 
these  natives,  as  well  as  a  child  whom  he  bought  for  a  pearl-button, 
he  took  with  him  to  England,  determining  to  educate  thorn  and 


CHAP,  x.]  FUEGIANS   OX  BOARD.  207 

instruct  them  in  religion  at  his  own  expense.  To  settle  these 
natives  in  their  own  country,  was  one  chief  inducement  to  Cap- 
tain Fitz  Roy  to  undertake  our  present  voyage ;  and  before  the 
Admiralty  had  resolved  to  send  out  this  expedition,  Captain 
Fitz  Roy  had  generously  chartered  a  vessel,  and  would  himself 
have  taken  them  back.  The  natives  were  accompanied  by  a  mis- 
sionary, R.  Matthews  ;  of  whom  and  of  the  natives,  Captain  Fitz 
Roy  has  published  a  full  and  excellent  account.  Two  men,  ono 
of  whom  died  in  England  of  the  small-pox,  a  boy  and  a  little 
girl,  were  originally  taken ;  and  we  had  now  on  board,  York 
Minster,  Jemmy  Button  (whose  name  expresses  his  purchase- 
money),  and  Fuegia  Basket.  York  Minster  was  a  full-grown, 
short,  thick,  powerful  man :  his  disposition  was  reserved,  taci- 
turn, morose,  and  when  excited  violently  passionate ;  his  aftec- 
tions  were  very  strong  towards  a  few  friends  on  board  ;  his  intel- 
lect good.  Jemmy  Button  was  a  universal  favourite,  but  likewise 
passionate;  the  expression  of  his  face  at  once  showed  his  nice 
disposition.  He  was  merry  and  often  laughed,  and  was  remark- 
ably sympathetic  with  any  one  in  pain :  when  the  water  was 
rough,  1  was  often  a  little  sea-sick,  and  he  used  to  come  to  me 
and  say  in  a  plaintive  voice,  "  Poor,  poor  fellow  !"  but  the  notion, 
after  his  aquatic  life,  of  a  man  being  sea-sick,  was  too  ludicrous, 
and  he  was  generally  obliged  to  turn  on  one  side  to  hide  a  smile 
or  laugh,  and  then  he  would  repeat  his  "  Poor,  poor  fellow  !"  He 
was  of  a  patriotic  disposition  ;  and  he  liked  to  praise  his  own  tribe 
and  country,  in  which  he  truly  said  there  were  "  plenty  of  trees," 
and  he  abused  all  the  other  tribes  :  he  stoutly  declared  that  there 
was  no  Devil  in  his  land.  Jemmy  was  short,  thick,  and  fat,  but 
vain  of  his  personal  appearance ;  he  used  always  to  wear  gloves, 
his  hair  was  neatly  cut,  and  he  was  distressed  if  his  well-polished 
shoes  were  dirtied.  He  was  fond  of  admiring  himself  in  a  look- 
ing-glass; and  a  merry-faced  little  Indian  boy  from  the  Rio  Negro, 
whom  we  had  for  some  months  on  board,  soon  perceived  this,  and 
used  to  mock  him :  Jemmy,  who  was  always  rather  jealous  of 
the  attention  paid  to  this  little  boy,  did  not  at  all  like  this,  and 
used  to  say,  with  rather  a  contemptuous  twist  of  his  head,  "  Too 
much  skylark."  It  seems  yet  wonderful  to  me,  when  I  think  over 
all  his  many  good  qualities,  that  he  should  have  been  of  the  same 
race,  and  doubtless  partaken  of  the  same  character,  with  the  mi- 


208  TIERRA   DEL   FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

arable,  degraded  savages  whom  we  first  met  here.  Lastly,  Fuegia 
Basket  was  a  nice,  modest,  reserved  young  girl,  with  a  rather 
pleasing  but  sometimes  sullen  expression,  and  very  quick  in 
'earning  anything,  especially  languages.  This  she  showed  in 
picking  up  some  Portuguese  and  Spanish,  when  left  on  shore  for 
only  a  short  time  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Monte  Video,  and  in 
her  knowledge  of  English.  York  Minster  was  very  jealous  of 
any  attention  paid  to  her ;  for  it  was  clear  he  determined  to 
marry  her  as  soon  as  they  were  settled  on  shore. 

Although  all  three  could  both  speak  and  understand  a  good 
deal  of  English,  it  was  singularly  difficult  to  obtain  much  in- 
formation from  them,  concerning  the  habits  of  their  countrymen  : 
this  was  partly  owing  to  their  apparent  difficulty  in  understand- 
ing the  simplest  alternative.  Every  one  accustomed  to  very 
young  children,  knows  how  seldom  one  can  get  an  answer  even 
to  so  simple  a  question  as  whether  a  thing  is  black  or  white ;  the 
idea  of  black  or  white  seems  alternately  to  fill  their  minds.  So 
it  was  with  these  Fuegians,  and  hence  it  was  generally  impossible 
to  find  out,  by  cross-questioning,  whether  one  had  rightly  under- 
stood anything  which  they  had  asserted.  Their  sight  was  re- 
markably acute :  it  is  well  known  that  sailors,  from  long  prac- 
tice, can  make  out  a  distant  object  much  better  than  a  landsman  ; 
but  both  York  and  Jemmy  were  much  superior  to  any  sailor  on 
board :  several  times  they  have  declared  what  some  distant  ob- 
ject has  been,  and  though  doubted  by  every  one,  they  have  proved 
right,  when  it  has  been  examined  through  a  telescope.  They 
were  quite  conscious  of  this  power ;  and  Jemmy,  when  he  had 
any  little  quarrel  with  the  officer  on  watch,  would  say,  "  Me  see 
ship,  me  no  tell." 

It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  conduct  of  the  savages,  when 
we  landed,  towards  Jemmy  Button  :  they  immediately  perceived 
the  difference  between  him  and  ourselves,  and  held  much  con- 
versation one  with  another  on  the  subject.  The  old  man  ad- 
dressed a  long  harangue  to  Jemmy,  which  it  seems  was  to  invite 
him  to  stay  with  them.  But  Jemmy  understood  very  little  of 
their  language,  and  was,  moreover,  thoroughly  ashamed  of  his 
countrymen.  When  York  Minster  afterwards  came  on  shore, 
they  noticed  him  in  the  same  way,  and  told  him  he  ought  to 
'have;  yet  he  ha.d  not  twenty  dwarf  hairs  on  his  face,  whilst  we 


CHAP,  x.]  SCENERY   OF  THE   MOUNTAINS.  209 

all  wore  our  untiimmed  beards.  They  examined  the  colour  of 
his  skin,  and  compared  it  with  ours.  One  of  our  arms  being 
bared,  they  expressed  the  liveliest  surprise  and  admiration  at  its 
whiteness,  just  in  the  same  way  in  which  I  have  seen  the  ourang- 
outang  do  at  the  Zoological  Gardens.  We  thought  that  they 
mistook  two  or  three  of  the  officers,  who  were  rather  shorter  and 
fairer,  though  adorned  with  large  beards,  for  the  ladies  of  our 
party.  The  tallest  amongst  the  Fuegians  was  evidently  much 
pleased  at  his  height  being  noticed.  When  placed  back  to  back 
with  the  tallest  of  the  boat's  crew,  he  tried  his  best  to  edge  on 
higher  ground,  and  to  stand  on  tiptoe.  He  opened  his  mouth  to 
show  his  teeth,  and  turned  his  face  for  a  side  view ;  and  all  this 
was  done  with  such  alacrity,  that  I  dare  say  he  thought  himself 
the  handsomest  man  in  Tierra  del  Fuego.  After  our  first  feel- 
ing of  grave  astonishment  was  over,  nothing  could  be  more 
ludicrous  than  the  odd  mixture  of  surprise  and  imitation  which 
these  savages  every  moment  exhibited. 

The  next  day  I  attempted  to  penetrate  some  way  into  the 
country.  Tierra  del  Fuego  may  be  described  as  a  mountainous 
land,  partly  submerged  in  the  sea,  so  that  deep  inlets  and 
bays  occupy  the  place  where  valleys  should  exist.  The  moun- 
tain sides,  except  on  the  exposed  western  coast,  are  covered  from 
the  water's  edge  upwards  by  one  great  forest.  The  trees  reach 
to  an  elevation  of  between  1000  and  1500  feet,  and  are  suc- 
ceeded by  a  band  of  peat,  with  minute  alpine  plants ;  and  this 
again  is  succeeded  by  the  line  of  perpetual  snow,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Captain  King,  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan  descends  to  be- 
tween 3000  and  4000  feet.  To  find  an  acre  of  level  land  in  any 
part  of  the  country  is  most  rare.  I  recollect  only  one  little  flat 
piece  near  Port  Famine,  and  another  of  rather  larger  extent  near 
Goeree  Road.  In  both  places,  and  everywhere  else,  the  surface 
is  covered  by  a  thick  bed  of  swampy  peat.  Even  within  the 
forest,  the  ground  is  concealed  by  a  mass  of  slowly  putrefying 
vegetable  matter,  which,  from  being  soaked  with  water,  yields 
to  the  foot. 

Finding  it  nearly  hopeless  to  push  my  way  through  the  wood, 
I  followed  the  course  of  a  mountain  torrent.  At  first,  from  the 
waterfalls  and  number  of  dead  trees,  I  could  hardly  crawl  along  ; 


210  TIERRA  DEL  FFEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

but  the  bed  of  the  stream  soon  became  a  little  more  open,  from 
the  floods  having  swept  the  sides.  I  continued  slowly  to  advance 
for  an  hour  along  the  broken  and  rocky  banks,  and  was  amply 
repaid  by  the  grandeur  of  the  scene.  The  gloomy  depth  of  the 
ravine  well  accorded  with  the  universal  signs  of  violence.  On 
every  side  were  lying  irregular  masses  of  rock  and  torn-up  trees ; 
other  trees,  though  still  erect,  were  decayed  to  the  heart  and 
ready  to  fall.  The  entangled  mass  of  the  thriving  and  the  fallen 
reminded  me  of  the  forests  within  the  tropics — yet  there  was  a 
difference :  for  in  these  still  solitudes,  Death,  instead  of  Life, 
seemed  the  predominant  spirit.  I  followed  the  watercourse  till 
I  came  to  a  spot,  where  a  great  slip  had  cleared  a  straight  space 
down  the  mountain  side.  By  tiiis  road  I  ascended  to  a  consider- 
able elevation,  and  obtained  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding 
woods.  The  trees  all  belong  to  one  kind,  the  Fagus  betuloides ; 
for  the  number  of  the  other  species  of  Fagus  and  of  the  Win- 
ter's Bark,  is  quite  inconsiderable.  "I  his  beech  keeps  its  leaves 
throughout  the  year ;  but  its  foliage  is  of  a  peculiar  brownish- 
green  colour,  with  a  tinge  of  yellow.  As  the  whole  landscape  is 
thus  coloured,  it  has  a  sombre,  dull  appearance ;  nor  is  it  often 
enlivened  by  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

December  20th. — One  side  of  the  harbour  is  formed  by  a  hill 
about  1500  feet  high,  which  Captain  Fitz  Roy  has  called  after 
Sir  J.  Banks,  in  commemoration  of  his  disastrous  excursion, 
which  proved  fatal  to  two  men  of  his  party,  and  nearly  so  to 
Dr.  Solander.  The  snow-storm,  which  was  the  cause  of  their 
misfortune,  happened  in  the  middle  of  January,  corresponding  to 
our  July,  and  in  the  latitude  of  Durham  !  I  was  anxious  to 
reach  the  summit  of  this  mountain  to  collect  alpine  plants ;  for 
flowers  of  any  kind  in  the  lower  parts  are  few  in  number.  We 
followed  the  same  watercourse  as  on  the  previous  day,  till  it  dwin- 
dled away,  and  we  were  then  compelled  to  crawl  blindly  among 
the  trees.  These,  from  the  effects  of  the  elevation  and  of  the 
impetuous  winds,  were  low,  thick,  and  crooked.  At  length  we 
reached  that  which  from  a  distance  appeared  like  a  carpet  of  fine 
green  turf,  but  which,  to  our  vexation,  turned  out  to  be  a  com- 
pact mass  of  little  beech-trees  about  four  or  five  feet  high.  They 
were  as  thick  together  as  box  in  the  border  of  a  garden,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  struggle  over  the  flat  but  treacherous  surface. 


CHAP,  x.]  CAPE  HORN.  211 

After  a  little  more  trouble  we  gained  the  peat,  and  then  the  bare 
elate  rock. 

A  ridge  connected  this  hill  with  another,  distant  some  miles, 
and  more  lofty,  so  that  patches  of  snow  were  lying  on  it.  As 
the  clay  was  not  far  advanced,  I  determined  to  walk  there  and 
collect  plants  along  the  road.  It  would  have  been  very  hard 
work,  had  it  not  been  for  a  well-beaten  and  straight  path  made 
by  the  guanacos ;  for  these  animals,  like  sheep,  always  follow 
the  same  line.  When  we  reached  the  hill  we  found  it  the  high- 
est in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  and  the  waters  flowed  to 
the  sea  in  opposite  directions.  We  obtained  a  wide  view  over 
the  surrounding  country  :  to  the  north  a  swampy  moorland  ex- 
tended, but  to  the  south  we  had  a  scene  of  savage  magnificence, 
well  becoming  Tierra  del  Fuego.  There  was  a  degree  of  myste- 
rious grandeur  in  mountain  behind  mountain,  with  the  deep  in- 
tervening valleys,  all  covered  by  one  thick,  dusky  mass  of  forest. 
The  atmosphere,  likewise,  in  this  climate,  where  gale  succeeds 
gale,  with  rain,  hail,  and  sleet,  seems  blacker  than  anywhere 
else.  In  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  looking  due  southward  from 
Port  Famine,  the  distant  channels  between  the  mountains  ap- 
peared from  their  gloominess  to  lead  beyond  the  confines  of  this 
world. 

December  list. — The  Beagle  got  under  way:  and  on  the 
succeeding  day,  favoured  to  an  uncommon  degree  by  a  fine 
easterly  breeze,  we  closed  in  with  the  Barnevelts,  and  running 
past  Cape  Deceit  with  its  stony  peaks,  about  three  o'clock 
doubled  the  weather-beaten  Cape  Horn.  The  evening  was  calm 
and  bright,  and  we  enjoyed  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  isles. 
Cape  Horn,  however,  demanded  his  tribute,  and  before  night 
sent  us  a  gale  of  wind  directly  in  our  teeth.  We  stood  out  to 
sea,  and  on  the  second  day  again  made  the  land,  when  we  saw 
on  our  weather-bow  this  notorious  promontory  in  its  proper  form 
— veiled  in  a  mist,  and  its  dim  outline  surrounded  by  a  storm  of 
wind  and  water.  Great  black  clouds  were  rolling  across  the 
heavens,  and  squalls  of  rain,  with  hail,  swept  by  us  with  such 
extreme  violence,  that  the  Captain  determined  to  run  into  Wig- 
wam Cove.  This  is  a  snug  little  harbour,  not  far  from  Cape 
Horn  ;  and  here,  at  Christmas-eve,  we  anchored  in  smooth  water. 
The  only  thing  which  reminded  us  of  the  gale  outside,  was  every 


212  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

now  and  then  a  puff  from  the  mountains,  which  made  the  ship 
surge  at  her  anchors. 

December  25th. — Close  by  the  cove,  a  pointed  hill,  called 
Kater's  Peak,  rises  to  the  height  of  1700  feet.  The  surround- 
nig  islands  all  consist  of  conical  masses  of  greenstone,  associated 
sometimes  with  less  regular  hills  of  baked  and  altered  clay -slate. 
This  part  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  may  be  considered  as  the  extremity 
of  the  submerged  chain  of  mountains  already  alluded  to.  The 
cove  takes  its  name  of  "  Wigwam"  from  some  of  the  Fuegian 
habitations ;  but  every  bay  in  the  neighbourhood  might  be  so 
called  with  equal  propriety.  The  inhabitants,  living  chiefly  upon 
shell-fish,  are  obliged  constantly  to  change  their  place  of  resi- 
dence ;  but  they  return  at  intervals  to  the  same  spots,  as  is  evi- 
dent from  the  piles  of  old  shells,  which  must  often  amount  to 
many  tons  in  weight.  These  heaps  can  be  distinguished  at  a 
long  distance  by  the  bright  green  colour  of  certain  plants,  which 
invariably  grow  on  them.  Among  these  may  be  enumerated  the 
wild  celery  and  scurvy  grass,  two  very  serviceable  plants,  the 
use  of  which  has  not  been  discovered  by  the  natives. 

The  Fuegian  wigwam  resembles,  in  size  and  dimensions,  a 
haycock.  It  merely  consists  of  a  few  broken  branches  stuck  in 
the  ground,  and  very  imperfectly  thatched  on  one  side  with  a 
few  tufts  of  grass  and  rushes.  The  whole  cannot  be  the  work  of 
an  hour,  and  it  is  only  used  for  a  few  days.  At  Goeree  Roads 
I  saw  a  place  where  one  of  these  naked  men  had  slept,  which 
absolutely  offered  no  more  cover  than  the  form  of  a  hare.  The 
man  was  evidently  living  by  himself,  and  York  Minster  said  he 
was  "  very  bad  man,"  and  that  probably  he  had  stolen  something. 
On  the  west  coast,  however,  the  wigwams  are  rather  better,  for 
they  are  covered  with  seal-skins.  We  were  detained  here  several 
days  by  the  bad  weather.  The  climate  is  certainly  wretched  : 
the  summer  solstice  was  now  passed,  yet  every  day  snow  fell  on 
the  hills,  and  in  the  valleys  there  was  rain,  accompanied  by  sleet. 
The  thermometer  generally  stood  about  45°,  but  in  the  night 
fell  to  38°  or  40°.  From  the  damp  and  boisterous  state  of  the 
atmosphere,  not  cheered  by  a  gleam  of  sunshine,  one  fancied  the 
climate  even  worse  than  it  really  was. 

While  going  one  day  on  shore  near  Wollaston  Island,  we 
pulled  alongside  a  canoe  with  six  Fuegians.  These  were  the 


CHAP,  x.]        WRETCHED   STATE   OF   THE   NATIVES.  213 

most  abject  and  miserable  creatures  I  anywhere  beheld.  On 
the  east  coast  the  natives,  as  we  have  seen,  have  guanaco  cloaks, 
and  on  the  west,  they  possess  seal-skins.  Amongst  these  central 
tribes  the  men  generally  have  an  otter-skin,  or  some  small  scrap 
about  as  large  as  a  pocket-handkerchief,  which  is  barely  suffi- 
cient to  cover  their  backs  as  low  down  as  their  loins.  It  is 
laced  across  the  breast  by  strings,  and  according  as  the  wind 
blows,  it  is  shifted  from  side  to  side.  But  these  Fuegians  in  the 
2anoe  were  quite  naked,  and  even  one  full-grown  woman  was 
absolutely  so.  It  was  raining  heavily,  and  the  fresh  water, 
together  with  the  spray,  trickled  down  her  body.  In  another 
narbour  not  far  distant,  a  woman,  who  was  suckling  a  recently- 
born  child,  came  one  day  alongside  the  vessel,  and  remained 
there  out  of  mere  curiosity,  whilst  the  sleet  fell  and  thawed  on 
ner  naked  bosom,  and  on  the  skin  of  her  naked  baby  !  These 
poor  wretches  were  stunted  in  their  growth,  their  hideous  faces 
bedaubed  with  white  paint,  their  skins  filthy  and  greasy,  their 
hair  entangled,  their  voices  discordant,  and  their  gestures  vio- 
lent. Viewing  such  men,  one  can  hardly  make  oneself  believe 
that  they  are  fellow-creatures,  and  inhabitants  of  the  same  world. 
It  is  a  common  subject  of  conjecture  what  pleasure  in  life  some 
of  the  lower  animals  can  enjoy :  how  much  more  reasonably  the 
same  question  may  be  asked  with  respect  to  these  barbarians ! 
At  night,  five  or  six  human  beings,  naked  and  scarcely  protected 
from  the  wind  and  rain  of  this  tempestuous  climate,  sleep  on  the 
wet  ground  coiled  up  like  animals.  Whenever  it  is  low  water, 
winter  or  summer,  night  or  day,  they  must  rise  to  pick  shell- 
fish from  the  rocks ;  and  the  women  either  dive  to  collect  sea- 
eggs,  or  sit  patiently  in  their  canoes,  and  with  a  baited  hair-line 
without  any  hook,  jerk  out  little  fish.  If  a  seal  is  killed,  or  the 
floating  carcass  of  a  putrid  whale  discovered,  it  is  a  feast;  and 
such  miserable  food  is  assisted  by  a  few  tasteless  berries  and 
fungi. 

They  often  suffer  from  famine :  I  heard  Mr.  Low,  a  sealing- 
master  intimately  acquainted  with  the  natives  of  this  country, 
give  a  curious  account  of  the  state  of  a  party  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  natives  on  the  west  coast,  who  were  very  thin  and  in 
great  distress.  A  succession  of  gales  prevented  the  women  from 
getting  shell-fish  on  the  rocks,  and  they  could  not  go  out  in 


214  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

Iheir  canoes  to  catch  seal.  A  small  party  of  these  men  one 
morning  set  out,  and  the  other  Indians  explained  to  him,  that 
they  were  going  a  four  days'  journey  for  food :  on  their  return, 
Low  went  to  meet  them,  and  he  found  them  excessively  tired, 
each  man  carrying  a  great  square  piece  of  putrid  whales-blubber 
with  a  hole  in  the  middle,  through  which  they  put  their  heads, 
like  the  Gauchos  do  through  their  ponchos  or  cloaks.  As  soon 
as  the  blubber  was  brought  into  a  wigwam,  an  old  man  cut  off 
thin  slices,  and  muttering  over  them,  broiled  them  for  a  minute, 
and  distributed  them  to  the  famished  party,  wiio  during  this 
time  preserved  a  profound  silence.  Mr..  Low  believes  that 
whenever  a  whale  is  cast  on  shore,  the  natives  bury  large  pieces 
of  it  in  the  sand,  as  a  resource  in  time  of  famine  ;  and  a  native 
boy,  whom  he  had  on  board,  once  found  a  stocu.  thus  buried. 
The  different  tribes  when  at  war  are  cannibals.  Fiom  the  con- 
current, but  quite  independent  evidence  of  the  buy  taken  by 
Mr.  Low,  and  of  Jemmy  Button,  it  is  certainly  true,  that  when 
pressed  in  winter  by  hunger,  they  kill  and  devour  their  old 
women  before  they  kill  their  dogs :  the  boy,  being  asked  by  Mr. 
Low  why  they  did  this,  answered,  "  Doggies  eaten  otters,  old 
women  no."  This  boy  described  the  manner  in  wjiich  they  are 
killed  by  being  held  over  smoke  and  thus  choked ;  he  imitated 
their  screams  as  a  joke,  and  described  the  parts  of  cheir  bodies 
which  are  considered  best  to  eat.  Horrid  as  such  a  death  by  the 
hands  of  their  friends  and  relatives  must  be,  the  fears  of  the  old 
women,  when  hunger  begins  to  press,  are  more  painful  to  think 
of;  we  were  told  that  they  then  often  run  away  into  the  moun- 
tains, but  that  they  are  pursued  by  the  men  and  brought  back 
to  the  slaughter-house  at  their  own  fire-sides ! 

Captain  Fitz  Roy  could  never  ascertain  that  the  Fuegians  have 
any  distinct  belief  in  a  future  life.  They  sometimes  bury  their 
dead  in  caves,  and  sometimes  in  the  mountain  forests ;  we  do  not 
know  what  ceremonies  they  perform.  Jemmy  Button  would  not 
eat  land-birds,  because  "  eat  dead  men  :"  they  are  unwilling  even 
to  mention  their  dead  friends.  We  have  no  reason  to  believe 
that  they  perform  any  sort  of  religious  worship;  though  perhaps 
the  muttering  of  the  old  man  before  he  distributed  the  putrid 
blubber  to  his  famished  party,  may  be  of  this  nature.  Each 
family  or  tribe  has  a  wizard  or  conjuring  doctor,  whose  office 


CHAP,  x.]  RELIGION  OF  THE  FUEGIANS.  215 

we  could  never  clearly  ascertain.  Jemmy  believed  in  dreams, 
though  not,  as  I  have  said,  in  the  devil :  I  do  not  think  that 
our  Fuegians  were  much  more  superstitious  than  some  of  the 
sailors ;  for  an  old  quarter-master  firmly  believed  that  the  suc- 
cessive heavy  gales,  which  we  encountered  off  Cape  Horn,  were 
caused  by  our  having  the  Fuegians  on  board.  The  nearest  ap- 
proach to  a  religious  feeling  which  I  heard  of,  was  shown  by 
York  Minster,  who,  when  Mr.  Bynoe  shot  some  very  young 
ducklings  as  specimens,  declared  in  the  most  solemn  manner, 
"  Oh  Mr.  Bynoe,  much  rain,  snow,  blow  much."  This  was 
evidently  a  retributive  punishment  for  wasting  human  food.  In 
a  wild  and  excited  manner  he  also  related,  that  his  brother,  one 
day  whilst  returning  to  pick  up  some  dead  birds  which  he  had 
left  on  the  coast,  observed  some  feathers  blown  by  the  wind. 
His  brother  said  (York  imitating  his  manner),  "  What  that  ?" 
and  crawling  onwards,  he  peeped  over  the  cliff,  and  saw  "  wild 
man"  picking  his  birds;  he  crawled  a  little  nearer,  and  then 
hurled  down  a  great  stone  and  killed  him.  York  declared  for  a 
long  time  afterwards  storms  raged,  and  much  rain  and  snow  fell, 
As  far  as  we  could  make  out,  he  seemed  to  consider  the  elements 
themselves  as  the  avenging  agents :  it  is  evident  in  this  case,  how 
naturally,  in  a  race  a  little  more  advanced  in  culture,  the  ele- 
ments would  become  personified.  What  the  "bad  wild  men" 
were,  has  always  appeared  to  me  most  mysterious :  from  what 
York  said,  when  we  found  the  place  like  the  form  of  a  hare, 
where  a  single  man  had  slept  the  night  before,  I  should  have 
thought  that  they  were  thieves  who  had  been  driven  from  their 
tribes ;  but  other  obscure  speeches  made  me  doubt  this ;  I  have 
sometimes  imagined  that  the  most  probable  explanation  was 
that  they  were  insane. 

The  different  tribes  have  no  government  or  chief ;  yet  each 
is  surrounded  by  other  hostile  tribes,  speaking  different  dialects, 
and  separated  from  each  other  only  by  a  deserted  border  or 
neutral  territory :  the  cause  of  their  warfare  appears  to  be  the 
means  of  subsistence.  Their  country  is  a  broken  mass  of  wild 
rocks,  lofty  hills,  and  useless  forests:  and  these  are  viewed 
through  mists  and  endless  storms.  The  habitable  land  is  re- 
duced to  the  stones  on  the  beach ;  in  search  of  food  they  are 
compelled  unceasingly  to  wander  from  spot  to  spot,  and  so  steep 
15 


216  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

is  the  coast,  that  they  can  only  move  about  in  their  wretched 
canoes.  They  cannot  know  the  feeling  of  having  a  home,  and 
still  less  that  of  domestic  affection ;  for  the  husband  is  to  the 
wife  a  brutal  master  to  a  laborious  slave.  Was  a  more  horrid 
deed  ever  perpetrated,  than  that  witnessed  on  the  west  coast  by 
Byron,  who  saw  a  wretched  mother  pick  up  her  bleeding  dying 
infant-boy,  whom  her  husband  had  mercilessly  dashed  on  the 
stones  for  dropping  a  basket  of  sea-eggs !  How  little  can  the 
higher  powers  of  the  mind  be  brought  into  play :  what  is  there 
for  imagination  to  picture,  for  reason  to  compare,  for  judgment 
to  decide  upon  ?  to  knock  a  limpet  from  the  rock  does  not  require 
even  cunning,  that  lowest  power  of  the  mind.  Their  skill  in 
some  respects  may  be  compared  to  the  instinct  of  animals ;  for 
it  is  not  improved  by  experience :  the  canoe,  their  most  inge- 
nious work,  poor  as  it  is,  has  remained  the  same,  as  we  know 
from  Drake,  for  the  last  two  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

Whilst  beholding  these  savages,  one  asks,  whence  have  they 
cnme  ?  What  could  have  tempted,  or  what  change  compelled  a 
tribe  of  men,  to  leave  the  fine  regions  of  the  north,  to  travel 
down  the  Cordillera  or  backbone  of  America,  to  invent  and 
build  canoes,  which  are  not  used  by  the  tribes  of  Chile,  Peru, 
and  Brazil,  and  then  to  enter  on  one  of  the  most  inhospitable 
countries  within  the  limits  of  the  globe  ?  Although  such  re- 
flections must  at  first  seize  on  the  mind,  yet  we  may  feel  sure 
that  they  are  partly  erroneous.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe 
that  the  Fuegians  decrease  in  number ;  therefore  we  must  sup- 
pose that  they  enjoy  a  sufficient  share  of  happiness,  of  whatever 
kind  it  may  be,  to  render  life  worth  having.  Nature  by  making 
habit  omnipotent,  and  its  effects  hereditary,  has  fitted  the  Fue- 
gian  to  the  climate  and  the  productions  of  his  miserable  country. 

After  having  been  detained  six  days  in  Wigwam  Cove  by  very 
bad  weather,  we  put  to  sea  on  the  30th  of  December.  Captain 
Fitz  Roy  wished  to  ge*  westward  to  land  York  and  Fuegia  in 
their  own  country.  When  at  sea  we  had  a  constant  succession 
of  gales,  and  the  current  was  against  us  :  we  drifted  to  57°  23' 
south.  On  the  llth  of  January,  1833,  by  carrying  a  press  of 
sail,  we  fetched  within  a  few  miles  of  the  great  rugged  mountain 
of  York  Minster  (so  called  by  Captain  Cook,  and  the  origin  of 


CHAP,  x.]  THE   BEAGLE   CHANNEL.  217 

the  name  of  the  elder  Fuegian),  when  a  violent  squall  compelled 
us  to  shorten  sail  and  stand  out  to  sea.  The  surf  was  breaking 
fearfully  on  the  coast,  and  the  spray  was  carried  over  a  cliff 
estimated  at  200  feet  in  height.  On  the  12th  the  gale  was  very 
heavy,  and  we  did  not  know  exactly  where  we  were :  it  was  a 
most  unpleasant  sound  to  hear  constantly  repeated,  "  keep  a  good 
look-out  to  leeward."  On  the  13rh  the  storm  raged  with  its  full 
fury  :  our  horizon  was  narrowly  limited  by  the  sheets  of  spray 
borne  by  the  wind.  The  sed  looked  ominous,  like  a  dreary 
waving  plain  with  patches  of  drifted  snow:  whilst  the  ship 
laboured  heavily,  the  albatross  glided  with  its  expanded  wings 
right  up  the  wind.  At  noon  a  great  sea  broke  over  us,  and 
filled  one  of  the  whale-boats,  which  was  obliged  to  be  instantly 
cut  away.  The  poor  Beagle  trembled  at  the  shock,  and  for  a 
few  minutes  would  not  obey  her  helm ;  but  soon,  like  a  good 
ship  that  she  was,  she  righted  and  came  up  to  the  wind  again. 
Had  another  sea  followed  the  first,  our  fate  would  have  been 
decided  soon,  and  for  ever.  We  had  now  been  twenty-four  days 
trying  in  vain  to  get  westward ;  the  men  were  worn  out  with 
fatigue,  and  they  had  not  had  for  many  nights  or  days  a  dry  thing 
to  put  on.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  gave  up  the  attempt  to  get  west- 
ward by  the  outside  coast.  In  the  evening  we  ran  in  behind 
False  Cape  Horn,  and  dropped  our  anchor  in  forty-seven 
fathoms,  fire  flashing  from  the  windlass  as  the  chain  rushed 
round  it.  How  delightful  was  that  still  night,  after  having  been 
so  long  involved  in  the  din  of  the  warring  elements ! 

January  15th,  1833. — The  Beagle  anchored  in  Goeree  Roads. 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  having  resolved  to  settle  the  Fuegians,  accord- 
ing to  their  wishes,  in  Ponsonby  Sound,  four  boats  were  equipped 
to  carry  them  there  through  the  Beagle  Channel.  This  channel, 
which  was  discovered  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy  during  the  last  voyage, 
is  a  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  geography  of  this,  or  indeed 
of  any  other  country  :  it  may  be  compared  to  the  valley  of  Loch  • 
ness  in  Scotland,  with  its  chain  of  lakes  and  friths.  It  is  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  long,  with  an  average  breadth,  not 
subject  to  any  very  great  variation,  of  about  two  miles  ;  and  is 
throughout  the  greater  part  so  perfectly  straight,  that  the  view, 
bounded  on  each  side  by  a  line  of  mountains,  gradually  becomes 
indistinct  in  the  long  distance.  It  crosses  the  southern  part  ol 


218  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

Tierra  del  Fuego  in  an  east  and  west  line,  and  in  the  middle  is 
joined  at  right  angles  on  the  south  side  by  an  irregular  channel, 
which  has  been  called  Ponsonby  Sound.  This  is  the  residence 
of  Jemmy  Button's  tribe  and  family. 

19th. — Three  whale-boats  and  the  yawl,  with  a  party  of 
twenty-eight,  started  under  the  command  of  Captain  Fitz  Roy. 
In  the  afternoon  we  entered  the  eastern  mouth  of  the  channel, 
and  shortly  afterwards  found  a  snug  little  cove  concealed  by 
some  surrounding  islets.  Here  we  pitched  our  tents  and  lighted 
our  fires.  Nothing  could  look  more  comfortable  than  this  scene. 
The  glassy  water  of  the  little  harbour,  with  the  branches  of  the 
trees  hanging  over  the  rocky  beach,  the  boats  at  anchor,  the 
tents  supported  by  the  crossed  oars,  and  the  smoke  curling  up 
the  wooded  valley,  formed  a  picture  of  quiet  retirement.  The 
next  day  (20th)  we  smoothly  glided  onwards  in  our  little  fleet, 
and  came  to  a  more  inhabited  district.  Few  if  any  of  these 
natives  could  ever  have  seen  a  white  man  ;  certainly  nothing 
could  exceed  their  astonishment  at  the  apparition  of  the  four 
boats.  Fires  were  lighted  on  every  point  (hence  the  name  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  or  the  land  of  fire),  both  to  attract  our  atten- 
tion and  to  spread  far  and  wide  the  news.  Some  of  the  men  ran 
for  miles  along  the  shore.  I  shall  never  forget  how  wild  and 
savage  one  group  appeared :  suddenly  four  or  five  men  came  to 
the  edge  of  an  overhanging  cliff;  they  were  absolutely  naked, 
and  their  long  hair  streamed  about  their  faces ;  they  held  rugged 
staffs  in  tlieir  hands,  and,  springing  from  the  ground,  they  waved 
their  arms  round  their  heads,  and  sent  forth  the  most  hideous 
yells. 

At  dinner-time  we  landed  among  a  party  of  Fuegians.  At 
first  they  were  not  inclined  to  be  friendly ;  for  until  the  Captain 
pulled  in  ahead  of  the  other  boats,  they  kept  their  slings  in  their 
hands.  We  soon,  however,  delighted  them  by  trifling  presents, 
such  as  tying  red  tape  round  their  heads.  They  liked  our  bis- 
cuit :  but  one  of  the  savages  touched  with  his  finger  some  of  the 
meat  preserved  in  tin  cases  which  I  was  eating,  and  feeling  it  soft 
and  cold,  showed  as  much  disgust  at  it,  as  I  should  have  done 
at  putrid  blubber.  Jemmy  was  thoroughly  ashamed  of  his 
countrymen,  and  declared  his  own  tribe  were  quite  different,  in 
which  he  was  wofully  mistaken.  It  was  as  easy  to  please  as  it 


CHAP,  x.]     ASTONISHMENT   OF  NATIVES  AT   FIRE-ARMS.       219 

was  difficult  to  satisfy  these  savages.  Young  and  old,  men  and 
children,  never  ceased  repeating  the  word  "  yammerschooner," 
which  means  "  give  me."  After  pointing  to  almost  every  object, 
one  after  the  other,  even  to  the  buttons  on  our  coats,  and  saying 
their  favourite  word  in  as  many  intonations  as  possible,  they 
would  then  use  it  in  a  neuter  sense,  and  vacantly  repeat  "  yam- 
merschooner." After  yammerschoonering  for  any  article  very 
eagerly,  they  would  by  a  simple  artifice  point  to  their  young 
women  or  little  children,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  If  you  will  not 
give  it  me,  surely  you  will  to  such  as  these." 

At  night  we  endeavoured  in  vain  to  find  an  uninhabited  cove ; 
and  at  last  were  obliged  to  bivouac  not  far  from  a  party  of 
natives.  They  were  very  inoffensive  as  long  as  they  were  few  in 
numbers,  but  in  the  morning  (21st)  being  joined  by  others  they 
showed  symptoms  of  hostility,  and  we  thought  that  we  should 
have  come  to  a  skirmish.  An  European  labours  under  great 
disadvantages  when  treating  with  savages  like  these,  who  have 
not  the  least  idea  of  the  power  of  fire-arms.  In  the  very  act  of 
levelling  his  musket  he  appears  to  the  savage  far  inferior  to  a 
man  armed  with  a  bow  and  arrow,  a  spear,  or  even  a  sling. 
Nor  is  it  easy  to  teach  them  our  superiority  except  by  striking  a 
fatal  blow.  Like  wild  beasts,  they  do  not  appear  to  compare 
numbers ;  for  each  individual,  if  attacked,  instead  of  retiring, 
will  endeavour  to  dash  your  brains  out  with  a  stone,  as  certainly 
is  a  tiger  under  similar  circumstances  would  tear  you.  Captain 
Fitz  Roy  on  one  occasion  being  very  anxious,  from  good  reasons, 
to  frighten  away  a  small  party,  first  flourished  a  cutlass  near 
them,  at  which  they  only  laughed ;  he  then  twice  fired  his  pistol 
close  to  a  native.  The  man  both  times  looked  astounded,  and 
carefully  but  quickly  rubbed  his  head ;  he  then  stared  awhile, 
and  gabbled  to  his  companions,  but  he  never  seemed  to  think  of 
running  away.  •  We  can  hardly  put  ourselves  in  the  position  of 
these  savages,  and  understand  their  actions.  In  the  case  of  this 
Fuegian,  the  possibility  of  such  a  sound  as  the  report  of  a  gun 
close  to  his  ear  .could  never  have  entered  his  mind.  He  perhaps 
literally  did  not  for  a  second  know  whether  it  was  a  sound  or  a 
blow,  and  therefore  very  naturally  rubbed  his  head.  In  a  similar 
manner,  when  a  savage  sees  a  mark  struck  by  a  bullet,  it  may  be 
some  time  before  he  is  able  at  all  to  understand  how  it  is  effected  ; 


220  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

for  the  fact  of  a  body  being  invisible  from  its  velocity  would 
perhaps  be  to  him  an  idea  totally  inconceivable.  Moreover,  the 
extreme  force  of  a  bullet,  that  penetrates  a  hard  substance  with- 
out  tearing  it,  may  convince  the  savage  that  it  has  no  force  at 
all.  Certainly  I  believe  that  many  savages  of  the  lowest  grade, 
such  as  these  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  have  seen  objects  struck,  and 
even  small  animals  killed  by  the  musket,  without  being  in  the 
least  aware  how  deadly  an  instrument  it  is. 

22d. — After  having  passed  an  unmolested  night,  in  what 
would  appear  to  be  neutral  territory  between  Jemmy's  tribe  and 
the  people  whom  we  saw  yesterday,  we  Bailed  pleasantly  along. 
I  do  not  know  anything  which  shows  more  clearly  the  hostile 
state  of  the  different  tribes,  than  these  wide  border  or  neutral 
tracts.  Although  Jemmy  Button  well  knew  the  force  of  our 
party,  he  was,  at  first,  unwilling  to  land  amidst  the  hostile  tribe 
nearest  to  his  own.  He  often  told  us  how  the  savage  Oens  men 
"  when  the  leaf  red,"  crossed  the  mountains  from  the  eastern 
coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  made  inroads  on  the  natives  ot 
this  part  of  the  country.  It  was  most  curious  to  watch  him 
when  thus  talking,  and  see  his  eyes  gleaming  and  his  whole  face 
assume  a  new  and  wild  expression.  As  we  proceeded  along  the 
Beagle  Channel,  the  scenery  assumed  a  peculiar  and  very  mag- 
nificent character ;  but  the  effect  was  much  lessened  from  the 
lowness  of  the  point  of  view  in  a  boat,  and  from  looking  along 
the  valley,  and  thus  losing  all  the  beauty  of  a  succession  of  ridges. 
The  mountains  were  here  about  three  thousand  feet  high,  and 
terminated  in  sharp  and  jagged  points.  They  rose  in  one  un-  * 
broken  sweep  from  the  water's  edge,  and  were  covered  to  the 
height  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  hundred  feet  by  the  dusky-coloured 
forest.  It  was  most  curious  to  observe,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
range,  how  level  and  truly  horizontal  the  line  on  the  mountain 
side  was,  at  which  trees  ceased  to  grow :  it  precisely  resembled 
the  high-water  mark  of  drift-weed  on  a  sea-beach. 

At  night  we  slept  close  to  the  junction  of  Ponsonby  Sound 
with  the  Beagle  Channel.  A  small  family  of  Fuegians,  who 
were  living  in  the  cove,  were  quiet  and  inoffensive,  and  soon 
joined  our  party  round  a  blazing  fire.  We  were  well  clothed, 
and  though  sitting  close  to  the  fire  were  far  from  too  warm ;  yet 
these  naked  savages,  though  further  off,  were  observed,  to  oin 


CHAP,  x.]  SETTLEMENT   AT   WOOLLYA.  221 

great  surprise,  to  be  streaming  with  perspiration  at  undergoing 
such  a  roasting.  They  seemed,  however,  very  well  pleased,  and 
all  joined  in  the  chorus  of  the  seamen  s  songs :  but  the  manner 
in  which  they  were  invariably  a  little  behindhand  was  quite 
ludicrous. 

During  the  night  the  news  had  spread,  and  early  in  the  morn- 
ing (23d)  a  fresh  party  arrived,  belonging  to  the  Tekenika,  or 
Jemmy's  tribe.  Several  of  them  had  run  so  fast  that  their  noses 
were  bleeding,  and  their  mouths  frothed  from  the  rapidity  with 
which  they  talked  ;  and  with  their  naked  bodies  all  bedaubed  with 
black,  white,*  and  red,  they  looked  like  so  many  demoniacs  who 
had  been  fighting.  We  then  proceeded  (accompanied  by  twelve 
canoes,  each  holding  four  or  five  people)  down  Ponsonby  Sound 
to  the  spot  where  poor  Jemmy  expected  to  find  his  mother  and 
relatives.  He  had  already  heard  that  his  father  was  dead ;  but 
as  he  had  had  a  "  dream  in  his  head  "  to  that  effect,  he  did  not 
seem  to  care  much  about  it,  and  repeatedly  comforted  himself 
with  the  very  natural  reflection — "  Me  no  help  it."  He  was  not 
able  to  learn  any  particulars  regarding  his  father's  death,  as  his 
relations  would  not  speak  about  it. 

Jemmy  was  now  in  a  district  well  known  to  him,  and  guided 
the  boats  to  a  quiet  pretty  cove  named  Woollya,  surrounded  by 
islets,  every  one  of  which  and  every  point  had  its  proper  native 
name.  We  found  here  a  family  of  Jemmy's  tribe,  but  not  his 
relations :  we  made  friends  with  them  ;  and  in  the  evening  they 
sent  a  canoe  to  inform  Jemmy's  mother  and  brothers.  The  cove 
was  bordered  by  some  acres  of  good  sloping  land,  not  covered 
(as  elsewhere)  either  by  peat  or  by  forest-trees.  Captain  Fitz 
Roy  originally  intended,  as  before  stated,  to  have  taken  York 
Minster  and  Fuegia  to  their  own  tribe  on  the  west  coast ;  but  as 

*  This  substance,  when  dry,  is  tolerably  compact,  and  of  little  specific 
gravity  :  Professor  Ehrenberg  has  examined  it:  he  states  (Konig  Akad.  der 
Wissen:  Berlin,  Feb.  1845)  that  it  is  composed  of  infusoria,  including  four- 
teen polygastrica,  and  four  phytolitharia.  He  says  that  they  are  all  inha- 
bitants of  fresh-water ;  this  is  a  beautiful  example  of  the  results  obtainable 
through  Professor  Ehrenberg's  microscopic  researches ;  for  Jemmy  Button 
told  me  that  it  is  always  collected  at  the  bottoms  of  mountain-brooks.  It  is, 
moreover,  a  striking  fact  in  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  infusoria, 
which  are  well  known  to  have  very  wide  ranges,  that  all  the  species  in  tins 
substance,  although  brought  from  the  extreme  southern  point  of  Tierra  dd 
Fuego,  are  old,  kuuwn  forms. 


222  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

they  expressed  a  wish  to  remain  here,  and  as  the  spot  was  singu- 
larly favourable,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  settle  here  the 
whole  party,  including  Matthews,  the  missionary.  Five  days 
were  spent  in  building  for  them  three  large  wigwams,  in  landing 
their  goods,  in  digging  two  gardens,  and  sowing  seeds. 

The  next  morning  after  our  arrival  (the  24th)  the  Fuegians 
began  to  pour  in,  and  Jemmy's  mother  and  brothers  arrived. 
Jemmy  recognised  the  stentorian  voice  of  one  of  his  brothers  at  a 
prodigious  distance.  The  meeting  was  less  interesting  than  that 
between  a  horse,  turned  out  into  a  field,  when  he  joins  an  old  com- 
panion. There  was  no  demonstration  of  affection  ;  they  simply 
stared  for  a  short  time  at  each  other ;  and  the  mother  imme- 
diately went  to  look  after  her  canoe.  We  heard,  however, 
through  York  that  the  mother  had  been  inconsolable  for  the  loss 
of  Jemmy,  and  had  searched  everywhere  for  him,  thinking  that 
he  might  have  been  left  after  having  been  taken  in  the  boat. 
The  women  took  much  notice  of  and  were  very  kind  to  Fuegia. 
We  had  already  perceived  that  Jemmy  had  almost  forgotten  his 
own  language.  I  should  think  there  was  scarcely  another  human 
being  with  so  small  a  stock  of  language,  for  his  English  was 
very  imperfect.  It  was  laughable,  but  almost  pitiable,  to  hear 
him  speak  to  his  wild  brother  in  English,  and  then  ask  him  in 
Spanish  ("  no  sabe  ?")  whether  he  did  not  understand  him. 

Everything  went  on  peaceably  during  the  three  next  days, 
whilst  the  gardens  were  digging  and  wigwams  building.  We 
estimated  the  number  of  natives  at  about  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
The  women  worked  hard,  whilst  the  men  lounged  about  all  day 
long,  watching  us.  They  asked  for  everything  they  saw,  and 
stole  what  they  could.  They  were  delighted  at  our  dancing  and 
singing,  and  were  particularly  interested  at  seeing  us  wash  in  a 
neighbouring  brook ;  they  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  any- 
thing else,  not  even  to  our  boats.  Of  all  the  things  which  York 
saw,  during  his  absence  from  his  country,  nothing  seems  more 
to  have  astonished  him  than  an  ostrich,  near  Maldonado :  breath- 
less with  astonishment  he  came  running  to  Mr.  Bynoe,  with 
whom  he  was  out  walking — "  Oh,  Mr.  Bynoe,  oh,  bird  all  same 
horse  1"  Much  as  our  white  skins  surprised  the  natives,  by  Mr. 
Low's  account  a  negro-cook  to  a  sealing  vessel,  did  so  more 
effectually ;  and  the  poor  fellow  was  so  mobbed  and  shouted  al 


CHAP,  x.]  SETTLEMENT  AT   WOOLLYA.  223 

that  he  would  never  go  on  shore  again.  Everything  went  on  so 
quietly,  that  some  of  the  officers  and  myself  took  long  walks  in 
the  surrounding  hills  and  woods.  Suddenly,  however,  on  the 
27th,  every  woman  and  child  disappeared.  We  were  all  uneasy 
at  this,  as  neither  York  nor  Jemmy  could  make  out  the  cause. 
It  Avas  thought  by  some  that  they  had  been  frightened  by  OUT 
cleaning  and  firing  off  our  muskets  on  the  previous  evening :  by 
others,  that  it  was  owing  to  offence  taken  by  an  old  savage,  who, 
when  told  to  keep  further  off,  had  coolly  spit  in  the  sentry's  face, 
and  had  then,  by  gestures  acted  over  a  sleeping  Fuegian,  plainly 
showed,  as  it  was  said,  that  he  should  like  to  cut  up  and  eat  our 
man.  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  to  avoid  the  chance  of  an  encounter, 
which  would  have  been  fatal  to  so  many  of  the  Fuegians,  thought 
it  advisable  for  us  to  sleep  at  a  cove  a  few  miles  distant.  Mat- 
thews, with  his  usual  quiet  fortitude  (remarkable  in  a  man  appa- 
rently possessing  little  energy  of  character),  determined  to  stay 
with  the  Fuegians,  who  evinced  no  alarm  for  themselves ;  and  so 
we  left  them  to  pass  their  first  awful  night. 

On  our  return  in  the  morning  (28th)  we  were  delighted  to  find 
all  quiet,  and  the  men  employed  in  their  canoes  spearing  fish. 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  send  the  yawl  and  one  whale- 
boat  back  to  the  ship ;  and  to  proceed  with  the  two  other  boats, 
one  under  his  own  command  (in  which  he  most  kindly  allowed 
me  to  accompany  him),  and  one  under  Mr.  Hammond,  to  survey 
the  western  parts  of  the  Beagle  Channel,  and  afterwards  to  return 
and  visit  the  settlement.  The  day  to  our  astonishment  was  over- 
poweringly  hot,  so  that  our  skins  were  scorched :  with  this  beau- 
tiful weather,  the  view  in  the  middle  of  the  Beagle  Channel  was 
very  remarkable.  Looking  towards  either  hand,  no  object  inter- 
cepted the  vanishing  points  of  this  long  canal  between  the  moun- 
tains. The  circumstance  of  its  being  an  arm  of  the  sea  was 
rendered  very  evident  by  several  huge  whales*  spouting  in  dif- 
ferent directions.  On  one  occasion  I  saw  two  of  these  monsters, 
probably  male  and  female,  slowly  swimming  one  after  the  other, 
within  less  than  a  stone's  throw  of  the  shore,  over  which  the 
beech-tree  extended  its  branches. 

*  One  day,  off  the  East  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  we  saw  a  grand  sight 
in  several  spermaceti  whales  jumping  upright  quite  out  of  the  water,  with 
the  exception  of  their  tail-fins.  As  they  fell  down  sideways,  they  splashed 
the  water  high  up,  and  the  sound  reverberated  like  a  distant  broadside. 


224  TIERRA  DEL  FTJEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

We  sailed  on  till  it  was  dark,  and  then  pitched  our  tents  in  a 
quiet  creek.  The  greatest  luxury  was  to  find  for  our  beds  a 
beach  of  pebbles,  for  they  were  dry  and  yielded  to  the  body. 
Peaty  soil  is  damp ;  rock  is  uneven  and  hard ;  sand  gets  into 
one's  meat,  when  cooked  and  eaten  boat-fashion  ;  but  when  lying 
in  our  blanket- bags,  on  a  good  bed  of  smooth  pebbles,  we  passed 
most  comfortable  nights. 

It  was  my  watch  till  one  o'clock.  There  is  something  verj 
solemn  in  these  scenes.  At  no  time  does  the  consciousness  in 
what  a  remote  corner  of  the  world  you  are  then  standing,  come 
so  strongly  before  the  mind.  Everything  tends  to  this  effect ; 
the  stillness  of  the  night  is  interrupted  only  by  the  heavy  breath- 
ing of  the  seamen  beneath  the  tents,  and  sometimes  by  the  cry  of 
a  night-bird.  The  occasional  barking  of  a  dog,  heard  in  the  dis- 
tance, reminds  one  that  it  is  the  land  of  the  savage. 

January  29th. — Early  in  the  morning  we  arrived  at  the  point 
where  the  Beagle  Channel  divides  into  two  arms ;  and  we  en- 
tered the  northern  one.  The  scenery  here  becomes  even  grander 
than  before.  The  lofty  mountains  on  the  north  side  compose  the 
granitic  axis,  or  backbone  of  the  country,  and  boldly  rise  to  a 
height  of  between  three  and  four  thousand  feet,  with  one  peak 
above  six  thousand  feet.  They  are  covered  by  a  wide  mantle 
of  perpetual  snow,  and  numerous  cascades  pour  their  waters, 
through  the  woods,  into  the  narrow  channel  below.  In  many 
parts,  magnificent  gluciers  extend  from  the  mountain  side  to 
the  water's  edge.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  any  thing 
more  beautiful  than  the  beryl-like  blue  of  these  glaciers,  and 
especially  as  contrasted  with  the  dead  white  of  the  upper  expanse 
of  snow.  The  fragments  which  had  fallen  from  the  glacier  into 
the  water,  were  floating  away,  and  the  channel  with  its  icebergs 
presented,  for  the  space  of  a  mile,  a  miniature  likeness  of  the  Polar 
Sea.  The  boats  being  hauled  on  shore  at  our  dinner-hour,  we 
were  admiring  from  the  distance  of  half  a  rnile  a  perpendicular 
cliff  of  ice,  and  were  wishing  that  some  more  fragments  would  fall. 
At  last,  down  came  a  mass  with  a  roaring  noise,  and  immediately 
we  saw  the  smooth  outline  of  a  wave  travelling  towards  us.  The 
men  ran  down  as  quickly  as  they  could  to  the  boats ;  for  the  chance 
of  their  being  dashed  to  pieces  was  evident.  One  of  the  seamen 
just  caught  hold  of  the  bows,  as  the  curling  breaker  reached  it : 


CHAP,  x.]  GLACIERS  ENTERING   THE   SEA.  225 

he  was  knocked  over  and  over,  but  not  hu?t ;  and  the  boats, 
though  thrice  lifted  on  high  and  let  fall  again,  received  no  dam- 
age. This  was  most  fortunate  for  us,  for  we  were  a  hundred 
miles  distant  from  the  ship,  and  we  should  have  been  left  without 
provisions  or  fire-arms.  I  had  previously  observed  that  some 
large  fragments  of  rock  on  the  beach  had  been  lately  displaced ; 
but  until  seeing  this  wave,  I  did  not  understand  the  cause.  One 
side  of  the  creek  was  formed  by  a  spur  of  mica-slate ;  the  head 
by  a  cliff  of  ice  about  forty  feet  high ;  and  the  other  side  by  a 
promontory  fifty  feet  high,  built  up  of  huge  rounded  fragments  of 
granite  and  mica-slate,  out  of  which  old  trees  were  growing. 
This  promontory  was  evidently  a  moraine,  heaped  up  at  a  period 
when  the  glacier  had  greater  dimensions. 

When  we  reached  the  western  mouth  of  this  northern  branch 
of  the  Beagle  Channel,  we  sailed  amongst  many  unknown  deso- 
late islands,  and  the  weather  was  wretchedly  bad.  We  met  with 
no  natives.  The  coast  was  almost  everywhere  so  steep,  that  we 
had  several  times  to  pull  many  times  before  we  could  find  space 
enough  to  pitch  our  two  tents :  ono  night  we  slept  on  large  round 
boulders,  with  putrefying  sea-weed  between  them;  and  when  the 
tide  rose,  we  had  to  get  up  and  move  our  blanket-bags.  The  far- 
thest point  westward  which  we  reached  was  Stewart  Island,  a 
distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  our  ship.  We 
returned  into  the  Beagle  Channel  by  the  southern  arm,  and 
thence  proceeded,  with  no  adventure,  back  to  Ponsonby  Sound. 

February  6th. — We  arrived  at  Woollya.  Matthews  gave  so 
bad  an  account  of  the  conduct  of  the  Fuegians,  that  Captain 
Fitz  Roy  determined  to  take  him  back  to  the  Beagle  ;  and  ulti- 
mately he  was  left  at  New  Zealand,  where  his  brother  was  a  mis- 
sionary. From  the  time  of  our  leaving,  a  regular  system  of 
plunder  commenced  ;  fresh  parties  of  the  natives  kept  arriving : 
York  and  Jemmy  lost  many  things,  and  Matthews  almost  every 
thing  which  had  not  been  concealed  underground.  Every  article 
seemed  to  have  been  torn  up  and  divided  by  the  natives.  Mat- 
thews described  the  watch  he  was  obliged  always  to  keep  as  most 
harassing ;  night  and  day  he  was  surrounded  by  the  natives,  who 
tried  to  tire  him  out  by  making  an  incessant  noise  close  to  his 
head.  One  clay  an  old  man,  whom  Matthews  asked  to  leave  his 
wigwam,  immediately  returned  with  a  large  stone  iu  his  hand : 


TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 


another  day  a  whole  party  came  armed  with  stones  and  stakes, 
and  some  of  the  younger  men  and  Jemmy's  brother  were  crying: 
Matthews  met  them  with  presents.  Another  party  showed  by 
signs  that  they  wished  to  strip  him  naked  and  pluck  all  the  hairs 
out  of  his  face  and  body.  I  think  we  arrived  just  in  time  to  save 
his  life.  Jemmy's  relatives  had  been  so  vain  and  foolish,  that 
they  had  showed  to  strangers  their  plunder,  and  their  manner  of 
obtaining  it.  It  was  quite  melancholy  leaving  the  three  Fue- 
gians  with  their  savage  countrymen  ;  but  it  was  a  great  comfort 
that  they  had  no  personal  fears.  York,  being  a  powerful  resolute 
man,  was  pretty  sure  to  get  on  well,  together  with  his  wife  Fue- 
gia.  Poor  Jemmy  looked  rather  disconsolate,  and  would  then, 
I  have  little  doubt,  have  been  glad  to  have  returned  with  us. 
His  own  brother  had  stolen  many  things  from  him ;  and  as  he 
remarked,  '  what  fashion  call  that :'  he  abused  his  countrymen, 
*  all  bad  men,  no  sabe  (know)  nothing,'  and,  though  I  never 
heard  him  swear  before,  •  damned  fools.'  Our  three  Fuegians, 
though  they  had  been  only  three  years  with  civilized  men,  would, 
I  am  sure,  have  been  glad  to  have  retained  their  new  habits ;  but 
this  was  obviously  impossible.  I  fear  it  is  more  than  doubtful, 
whether  their  visit  will  have  been  of  any  use  to  them. 

In  the  evening,  with  Matthews  on  board,  we  made  sail  back  to 
the  ship,  not  by  the  Beagle  Channel,  but  by  the  southern  coast. 
The  boats  were  heavily  laden  and  the  sea  rough,  and  we  had  a 
dangerous  passage.  By  the  evening  of  the  7th  we  were  on  board 
the  Beagle  after  an  absence  of  twenty  days,  during  which  time 
we  had  gone  three  hundred  miles  in  the  open  boats.  On  the  1 1th, 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  paid  a  visit  by  himself  to  the  Fuegians  and 
found  them  going  on  well ;  and  that  they  had  lost  very  few  more 
things. 

On  the  last  day  of  February  in  the  succeeding  year  (1834), 
the  Beagle  anchored  in  a  beautiful  little  cove  at  the  eastern  en- 
trance of  the  Beagle  Channel.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  on 
the  bold,  and  as  it  proved  successful,  attempt  to  beat  against  the 
westerly  winds  by  the  same  route,  which  we  had  followed  in  the 
boats  to  the  settlement  at  Woollya.  We  did  not  see  many 
natives  until  we  were  near  Ponsonby  Sound,  where  we  were  fol- 
lowed by  ten  or  twelve  canoes.  The  natives  did  not  at  all  uii- 


CHAP,  x.]  FFEGIAXS.  227 

deretand  the  reason  of  our  tacking,  and,  instead  of  meeting  us  at 
each  tack,  vainly  strove  to  follow  us  in  our  zig-zag  course.  I 
was  amused  at  finding  what  a  difference  the  circumstance  of 
being  quite  superior  in  force  made,  in  the  interest  of  beholding 
these  savages.  While  in  the  boats  I  got  to  hate  the  very  sound 
of  their  voices,  so  much  trouble  did  they  give  us.  The  first  and 
last  word  was  "  yammerschoonfir."  When,  entering  some  quiet 
little  cove,  we  have  looked  round  and  thought  to  pass  a  quiet 
night,  the  odious  word  "  yammerschooner"  has  shrilly  sounded 
from  some  gloomy  nook,  and  then  the  little  signal-smoke  has 
curled  up  to  spread  the  news  far  and  wide.  On  leaving  some 
place  we  have  said  to  each  other,  '  Thank  Heaven,  we  have  at 
last  fairly  left  these  wretches !'  when  one  more  faint  halloo  from 
an  all-powerful  voice,  heard  at  a  prodigious  distance,  would 
reach  our  ears,  and  clearly  could  we  distinguish — "  yammer- 
schooner."  But  now,  the  more  Fuegians  the  merrier ;  and  very 
merry  work  it  was.  Both  parties  laughing,  wondering,  gaping 
at  each  other;  we  pitying  them,  for  giving  us  good  fish  and 
crabs  for  rags,  &c. ;  they  grasping  at  the  chance  of  finding 
people  so  foolish  as  to  exchange  such  splendid  ornaments  for  a 
good  supper.  It  was  most  amusing  to  see  the  undisguised  smile 
of  satisfaction  with  which  one  young  woman  with  her  face 
painted  black,  tied  several  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  round  hor  head 
with  rushes.  Her  husband,  who  enjoyed  the  very  universal  pri- 
vilege in  this  country  of  possessing  two  wives,  evidently  became 
jealous  of  all  the  attention  paid  to  his  young  wife;  and,  after  a 
consultation  with  his  naked  beauties,  was  paddled  away  by 
them. 

Some  of  the  Fuegians  plainly  showed  that  they  had  a  fair 
notion  of  barter.  I  gave  one  man  a  large  nail  (a  most  valuable 
present)  without  making  any  signs  for  a  return  ;  but  he  imme- 
diately picked  out  two  fish,  and  handed  them  up  on  the  point  of 
his  spear.  If  any  present  was  designed  for  one  canoe,  and  it 
fell  near  another,  it  was  invariably  given  to  the  right  owner. 
The  Fuegian  boy,  whom  Mr.  Low  had  on  board,  showed,  by 
going  into  the  most  .violent  passion,  that  he  quite  understood 
the  reproach  of  being  called  a  liar,  which  in  truth  he  was.  We 
were  this  time,  as  on  all  former  occasions,  much  surprised  at  the 
little  notice,  or  rather  none  whatever,  which  was  taken  of  many 


228  TIERRA  DEL  FtJEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

things,  the  use  of  which  must  have  been  evident  to  the  natives. 
Simple  circumstances— such  as  the  beauty  of  scarlet  cloth  or 
blue  beads,  the  absence  of  women,  our  care  in  washing  our- 
selves,—excited  their  admiration  far  more  than  any  grand  or 
complicated  object,  such  as  our  ship.  Bougainville  has  well 
remarked  concerning  these  people,  that  they  treat  the  "  chef- 
d'osuvres  de  1'industrie  humaine,  comme  ils  traitent  les  loix  de 
la  nature  et  ses  phenomenes." 

On  the  5th  of  March,  we  anchored  in  the  cove  at  Woollya, 
out  we  saw  not  a  soul  there.  We  were  alarmed  at  this,  for  the 
natives  in  Ponsonby  Sound  showed  by  gestures,  that  there  had 
been  fighting ;  and  we  afterwards  heard  that  the  dreaded  Oens 
men  had  made  a  descent.  Soon  a  canoe,  with  a  little  flag  flying, 
was  seen  approaching,  with  one  of  the  men  in  it  washing  the 
paint  off  his  face.  This  man  was  poor  Jemmy, — now  a  thin 
haggard  savage,  with  long  disordered  hair,  and  naked,  except  a 
bit  of  a  blanket  round  his  waist.  We  did  not  recognise  him  till 
he  was  close  to  us ;  for  he  was  ashamed  of  himself,  and  turned 
his  back  to  the  ship.  We  had  left  him  plump,  fat,  clean,  and 
well  dressed  ; — I  never  saw  so  complete  and  grievous  a  change. 
As  soon  however  as  he  was  clothed,  and  the  first  flurry  was 
over,  things  wore  a  good  appearance.  He  dined  with  Captain 
Fitz  Roy,  and  ate  his  dinner  as  tidily  as  formerly.  He  told  us  he 
had  '  too  much'  (meaning  enough)  to  eat,  that  he  was  not  cold, 
that  his  relations  were  very  good  people,  and  that  he  did  not 
wish  to  go  back  to  England  :  in  the  evening  we  found  out  the 
cause  of  this  great  change  in  Jemmy's  feelings,  in  the  arrival  of 
his  young  and  nice-looking  wife.  With  his  usual  good  feeling, 
he  brought  two  beautiful  otter-skins  for  two  of  his  best  friends, 
and  some  spear-heads  and  arrows  made  with  his  own  hands  for 
the  Captain.  He  said  he  had  built  a  canoe  for  himself,  and  he 
boasted  that  he  could  talk  a  little  of  his  own  language !  But  it 
is  a  most  singular  fact,  that  he  appears  to  have  taught  all  his 
tribe  some  English :  an  old  man  spontaneously  announced 
'  Jemmy  Button's  wife.'  Jemmy  had  lost  all  his  property. 
He  told  us  that  York  Minster  had  built  a  large  canoe,  and  with 
his  wife  Fuegia,*  had  several  months  since  gone  to  his  own 

*  Captain  Sulivan,  who,  since  his  voyage  in  the  Beagle,  has  been  em- 
ployed on  the  survey  of  the  Falkland  Islands,  heard  from  a  sealer  in  (1842  ?), 


CHAP,  x.]  FAREWELL   VISIT   TO   WOOLLY  A.  229 

country,  and  had  taken  farewell  by  an  act  of  consummate  vil- 
lainy ;  he  persuaded  Jemmy  and  his  mother  to  come  with  him, 
and  then  on  the  way  deserted  them  by  night,  stealing  every 
article  of  their  property. 

Jemmy  went  to  sleep  on  shore,  and  in  the  morning  returned, 
and  remained  on  board  till  the  ship  got  under  weigh,  which 
frightened  his  wife,  who  continued  crying  violently  till  he  got 
into  his  canoe.  He  returned  loaded  with,  valuable  property. 
Every  soul  on  board  was  heartily  sorry  to  shake  hands  with  him 
for  the  last  time.  I  do  not  now  doubt  that  he  will  be  as  happy 
as,  perhaps  happier  than,  if  he  had  never  left  his  own  country. 
Every  one  must  sincerely  hope  that  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  noble 
hope  may  be  fulfilled,  of  being  rewarded  for  the  many  generous 
sacrifices  which  he  made  for  these  Fuegians,  by  some  ship- 
wrecked sailor  being  protected  by  the  descendants  of  Jemmy 
Button  and  his  tribe !  When  Jemmy  reached  the  shore,  he 
lighted  a  signal  fire,  and  the  smoke  curled  up,  bidding  us  a  last 
and  long  farewell,  as  the  ship  stood  on  her  course  into  the  open 


The  perfect  equality  among  the  individuals  composing  the 
Fuegian  tribes,  must  for  a  long  time  retard  their  civilization. 
As  we  see  those  animals,  whose  instinct  compels  them  to  live  in 
society  and  obey  a  chief,  are  most  capable  of  improvement,  so  is 
it  with  the  races  of  mankind.  Whether  we  look  at  it  as  a  cause 
or  a  consequence,  the  more  civilized  always  have  the  most  arti- 
ficial governments.  For  instance,  the  inhabitants  of  Otaheite, 
who,  when  first  discovered,  were  governed  by  hereditary  kings, 
had  arrived  at  a  far  higher  grade  than  another  branch  of  the 
same  people,  the  New  Zealanders, — who,  although  benefited  by 
being  compelled  to  turn  their  attention  to  agriculture,  were  re- 
publicans in  the  most  absolute  aense.  In  Tierra  del  Fuego 
until  some  chief  shall  arise  with  power  sufficient  to  secure  any 
acquired  advantage,  such  as  the  domesticated  animals,  it  seems 
scarcely  possible  that  the  political  state  of  the  country  can  be 

that  wh  n  in  the  -western  part  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  he  was  astonished  by 
a  native  woman  coming  on  board,  who  could  talk  some  English.  Without 
doubt  this  was  Fuegia  Basket.  She  lived  (I  fear  the  term  probably  bears  a 
double  interpretation)  some  days  on  board. 


230  TIERRA   DEL   FTJEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

improved.  At  present,  even  a  piece  of  cloth  given  to  one  is 
torn  into  shreds  and  distributed  ;  and  no  one  individual  becomes 
richer  than  another.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand how  a  chief  can  arise  till  there  is  property  of  some  sort  by 
which  he  might  manifest  his  superiority  and  increase  his  power. 
I  believe,  in  this  extreme  part  of  South  America,  man  exists 
in  a  lower  state  of  improvement  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  The  South  Sea  Islanders  of  the  two  races  inhabiting 
the  Pacific,  are  comparatively  civilized.  The  Esquimaux,  in  his 
subterranean  hut,  enjoys  some  of  the  comforts  of  life,  and  in  his 
canoe,  when  fully  equipped,  manifests  much  skill.  Some  of  the 
tribes  of  Southern  Africa,  prowling  about  in  search  of  roots,  and 
living  concealed  on  the  wild  and  arid  plains,  are  sufficiently 
wretched.  The  Australian,  in  the  simplicity  of  the  arts  of  life, 
comes  nearest  the  Fuegian :  he  can,  however,  boast  of  his  boo- 
merang, his  spear  and  throwing-stick,  his  method  of  climbing 
trees,  of  tracking  animals,  and  of  hunting.  Although  the  Aus- 
tralian may  be  superior  in  acquirements,  it  by  no  means  follows 
that  he  is  likewise  superior  in  mental  capacity :  indeed,  from 
what  I  saw  of  the  Fuegians  when  on  board,  and  from  what  I 
have  read  of  the  Australians,  I  should  think  the  case  was  exactly 
tue  reverse. 


1334.]  STRAIT   OF   MAGELLAN".  231 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Strait  of  Magellan — Port  Famine — Ascent  of  Mount  Tarn — Forests — Edible 
Fungus— Zoology — Great  Sea--weed — Leave  Tierra  del  Fuego — Climate — • 
Fruit-trees  and  productions  of  the  southern  coasts — Height  of  snow-lino 
ou  the  Cordillera— Descent  of  glaciers  to  the  sea — Icebergs  formed — 
Transportal  of  Boulders — Climate  and  productions  of  the  Antarctic 
Islands — Preservation  of  frozen  carcasses — Recapitulation. 

STRAIT  OF  MAGELLAN. — CLIMATE  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  COASTS. 

In  the  end  of  May,  1834,  we  entered  for  the  second  time  the 
eastern  mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  The  country  on  both 
sides  of  this  part  of  the  Strait  consists  of  nearly  level  plains,  like 
those  of  Patagonia.  Cape  Negro,  a  little  within  the  second 
Narrows,  may  be  considered  as  the  point  where  the  land  begins 
to  assume  the  marked  features  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  On  the 
east  coast,  south  of  the  Strait,  broken  park-like  scenery  in  a  like 
manner  connects  these  two  countries,  which  are  opposed  to  each 
other  in  almost  every  feature.  It  is  truly  surprising  to  find  in  a 
space  of  twenty  miles  such  a  change  in  the  landscape.  If  we 
take  a  rather  greater  distance,  as  between  Port  Famine  and  Gre- 
gory Bay,  that  is  about  sixty  miles,  the  difference  is  still  more 
wonderful.  At  the  former  place,  we  have  rounded  mountains 
concealed  by  impervious  forests,  which  are  drenched  with  the 
rain,  brought  by  an  endless  succession  of  gales ;  while  at  Cape 
Gregory,  there  is  a  clear  and  bright  blue  sky  over  the  dry  and 
sterile  plains.  The  atmospheric  currents  *, '  although  rapid, 
turbulent,  and  unconfined  by  any  apparent  limits,  yet  seem  to 
follow,  like  a  river  in  its  bed,  a  regularly  determined  course. 
During  our  previous  visit  (in  January),  we  had  an  interview 

*  The  south-westerly  breezes  are  generally  very  dry.  January  29th, 
being  at  anchor  under  Cape  Gregory  :  a  very  hard  gale  from  W.  by  S., 
ulear  sky  with  few  cumuli;  temperature  57°,  dew-point  36°, — difference  21°. 
On  January  15th,  at  Port  St.  Julian :  in  the  morning  light  winds  with  much 
rain,  followed  by  a  very  heavy  squall  with  rain, — settled  into  heavy  gale 
with  large  cumuli. — cleared  up,  blowing  very  strong  from  S.S.W  Tempera 
tare  60°,  dew-point  42°,— difference  18°. 

16 


232  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xi. 

at  Cape  Gregory  with  the  famous  so-called  gigantic  Patagonians, 
who  gave  us  a  cordial  reception.  Their  height  appears  greater 
than  it  really  is,  from  their  large  guanaco  mantles,  their  long 
flowing  hair,  and  general  figure  :  on  an  average  their  height  is 
about  six  feet,  with  some  men  taller  and  only  a  few  shorter; 
and  the  women  are  also  tall ;  altogether  they  are  certainly  the 
tallest  race  which  we  anywhere  saw.  In  features  they  strikingly 
resemble  the  more  northern  Indians  whom  I  saw  with  Rosas, 
but  they  have  a  wilder  and  more  formidable  appearance :  their 
faces  were  much  painted  with  red  and  black,  and  one  man  was 
ringed  and  dotted  with  white  like  a  Fuegian.  Capt.  Fitz  Roy 
offered  to  take  any  three  of  them  on  board,  and  all  seemed  de- 
termined to  be  of  the  three.  It  was  long  before  we  could  clear 
the  boat ;  at  last  we  got  on  board  with  our  three  giants,  who 
dined  with  the  Captain,  and  behaved  quite  like  gentlemen,  help- 
ing themselves  with  knives,  forks,  and  spoons  :  nothing  was  so 
much  relished  as  sugar.  This  tribe  has  had  so  much  commu- 
nication with  sealers  and  whalers,  that  most  of  the  men  can  speak 
a  little  English  and  Spanish ;  and  they  are  half  civilised,  and 
proportionally  demoralised. 

The  next  morning  a  large  party  went  on  shore,  to  barter  for 
skins  and  ostrich-feathers ;  fire-arms  being  refused,  tobacco  was 
in  greatest  request,  far  more  so  than  axes  or  tools.  The  whole 
population  of  the  toldos,  men,  women,  and  children,  were  arranged 
on  a  bank.  It  was  an  amusing  scene,  and  it  was  impossible  not  to 
like  the  so-called  giants,  they  were  so  thoroughly  good-humoured 
and  unsuspecting:  they  asked  us  to  come  again.  They  seem  to 
like  to  have  Europeans  to  live  with  them  ;  and  old  Maria,  an  im- 
portant woman  in  the  tribe,  once  begged  Mr.  Low  to  leave  any  ono 
of  his  sailors  with  them.  They  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
here  ;  but  in  summer  they  hunt  along  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera : 
sometimes  they  travel  as  far  as  the  Rio  Negro,  750  miles  to  the 
north.  They  are  well  stocked  with  horses,  each  man  having,  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Low,  six  or  seven,  and  all  the  women,  and  even 
children,  their  one  own  horse.  In  the  time  of  Sarmiento  (1580), 
these  Indians  had  bows  and  arrows,  now  long  since  disused  ;  they 
then  .also  possessed  some  horses.  This  is  a  very  curious  fact,  show- 
ing the  extraordinarily  rapid  multiplication  of  horses  in  South 
America.  The  horse  was  first  landed  at  Buenos  Ayres  in  1 537, 


1834.]  PORT   FAMINE. 


and  the  colony  being  then  for  a  time  deserted,  the  horse  ran  wild  ;  * 
in  1580,  only  forty-three  years  afterwards,  we  hear  of  them  at  the 
Strait  of  Magellan  !  Mr.  Low  informs  me,  that  a  neighbouring 
tribe  of  foot-Indians  is  now  changing  into  horse-Indians  :  the  tribe 
at  Gregory  Bay  giving  them  their  worn-out  horses,  and  sending 
in  winter  a  few  of  their  best  skilled  men  to  hunt  for  them. 

June  1st. — We  anchored  in  the  fine  bay  of  Port  Famine.  It 
was  now  the  beginning  of  winter,  and  I  never  saw  a  more  cheer- 
less prospect ;  the  dusky  woods,  piebald  with  snow,  could  be  only 
seen  indistinctly  through  a  drizzling  hazy  atmosphere.  We 
were,  however,  lucky  in  getting  two  fine  days.  On  one  of  these, 
Mount  Sarmiento,  a  distant  mountain  6800  feet  high,  presented 
a  very  noble  spectacle.  I  was  frequently  surprised,  in  the 
scenery  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  at  the  little  apparent  elevation  oi 
mountains  really  lofty.  I  suspect  it  is  owing  to  a  cause  which 
would  not  at  first  be  imagined,  namely,  that  the  whole  mass, 
from  the  summit  to  the  water's  edge,  is  generally  in  full  view. 
I  remember  having  seen  a  mountain,  first  from  the  Beagle 
Channel,  where  the  whole  sweep  from  the  summit  to  the  base 
was  full  in  view,  and  then  from  Ponsonby  Sound  across  several 
successive  ridges ;  and  it  was  curious  to  observe  in  the  latter 
case,  as  each  fresh  ridge  afforded  fresh  means  of  judging  of  the 
distance,  how  the  mountain  rose  in  height. 

Before  reaching  Port  Famine,  two  men  were  seen  running 
along  the  shore  and  hailing  the  ship.  A  boat  was  sent  for  them. 
They  turned  out  to  be  two  sailors  who  had  run  away  from  a 
sealing-vessel,  and  had  joined  the  Patagonians.  These  Indians  had 
treated  them  with  their  usual  disinterested  hospitality.  They 
had  parted  company  through  accident,  and  were  then  proceeding 
to  Port  Famine  in  hopes  of  finding  some  ship.  I  dare  say  they 
were  worthless  vagabonds,  but  I  never  saw  more  miserable  look- 
ing ones.  They  had  been  living  for  some  days  on  mussel-shells 
and  berries,  and  their  tattered  clothes  had  been  burnt  by  sleep- 
ing so  near  their  fires.  They  had  been  exposed  night  and  day, 
without  any  shelter,  to  the  late  incessant  gales,  with  rain,  sleet, 
and  snow,  and  yet  they  were  in  good  health. 

During  our  stay  at  Port  Famine,  the  Fuegians  twice  came  and 
plagued  us.  As  there  were  many  instruments,  clothes,  and  mec 
*  Rengger,  Natur.  dcr  Saeugethiere  yon  Paraguay.  S.  334. 


234  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xi. 

on  shore,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  frighten  them  away.  The 
first  time  a  few  great  guns  were  fired,  when  they  were  far  distant. 
It  was  most  ludicrous  to  watch  through  a  glass  the  Indians,  as 
often  as  the  shot  struck  the  water,  take  up  stones,  and  as  a  bold 
defiance,  throw  them  towards  the  ship,  though  about  a  mile  and 
a-half  distant !  A  boat  was  then  sent  with  orders  to  fire  a  few 
musket-shots  wide  of  them.  The  Fuegians  hid  themselves  be- 
hind the  trees,  and  for  every  discharge  of  the  muskets  they  fired 
their  arrows  ;  all,  however,  fell  short  of  the  boat,  and  the  officer 
as  he  pointed  at  them  laughed.  This  made  the  Fuegians  frantic 
with  passion,  and  they  shook  their  mantles  in  vain  rage.  At 
last,  seeing  the  balls  cut  and  strike  the  trees,  they  ran  away, 
and  we  were  left  in  peace  and  quietness.  During  the  former 
voyage  the  Fuegians  were  here  very  troublesome,  and  to  frighten 
them  a  rocket  was  fired  at  night  over  their  wigwams  :  it  answered 
effectually,  and  one  of  the  officers  told  me  that  the  clamour  first 
raised,  and  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  was  quite  ludicrous  in  con- 
trast with  the  profound  silence  which  in  a  minute  or  two  after- 
wards prevailed.  The  next  morning  not  a  single  Fuegian  was 
in  the  neighbourhood. 

When  the  Beagle  was  here  in  the  month  of  February,  I 
started  one  morning  at  four  o'clock  to  ascend  Mount  Tarn, 
which  is  2600  feet  high,  and  is  the  most  elevated  point  in  this 
immediate  district.  We  went  in  a  boat  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain (but  unluckily  not  to  the  best  part),  and  then  began  our 
ascent.  The  forest  commences  at  the  line  of  high-water  mark, 
and  during  the  first  two  hours  I  gave  over  all  hopes  of  reaching 
the  summit.  So  thick  was  the  wood,  that  it  was  necessary  to 
have  constant  recourse  to  the  compass ;  for  every  landmark, 
though  in  a  mountainous  country,  was  completely  shut  out.  In 
the  deep  ravines,  the  death-like  scene  of  desolation  exceeded  all 
description  ;  outside  it  was  blowing  a  gale,  but  in  these  hollows, 
not  even  a  breath  of  wind  stirred  the  leaves  of  the  tallest  trees. 
So  gloomy,  cold,  and  wet  was  every  part,  that  not  even  the 
fungi,  mosses,  or  ferns  could  flourish.  In  the  valleys  it  was 
scarcely  possible  to  crawl  along,  they  were  so  completely  barri- 
caded by  great  mouldering  trunks,  which  had  fallen  down  in 
every  direction.  When  passing  over  these  natural  bridges,  one's 
course  was  often  arrested  by  sinking  knee  deep  into  the  rotten 


1834.]  FORESTS.  285 

wood ;  at  other  times,  when  attempting  to  lean  against  a  firm 
tree,  one  was  startled  by  finding  a  mass  of  decayed  matter  ready 
to  fall  at  the  slightest  touch.  We  at  last  found  ourselves  among 
the  stunted  trees,  and  then  soon  reached  the  bare  ridge,  which 
conducted  us  to  the  summit.  Here  was  a  view  characteristic  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego  ;  irregular  chains  of  hills,  mottled  with  patches 
of  snow,  deep  yellowish-green  valleys,  and  arms  of  the  sea  inter- 
secting the  land  in  many  directions.  The  strong  wind  was 
piercingly  cold,  and  the  atmosphere  rather  hazy,  so  that  we  did 
not  stay  long  on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  Our  descent  was  not 
quite  so  laborious  as  our  ascent ;  for  the  weight  of  the  body 
forced  a  passage,  and  all  the  slips  and  falls  were  in  the  right 
direction. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  sombre  and  dull  character  of  the 
evergreen  forests,*  in  which  two  or  three  species  of  trees  grow, 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  others.  Above  the  forest  land,  there  are 
many  d\\'arf  alpine  plants,  which  all  spring  from  the  mass  of 
peat,  and  help  to  compose  it :  these  plants  are  very  remarkable 
from  their  close  alliance  with  the  species  growing  on  the  moun- 
tains of  Europe,  though  so  many  thousand  miles  distant.  The 
central  part  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  where  the  clay -slate  formation 
occurs,  is  most  favourable  to  the  growth  of  trees ;  on  the  outer 
coast  the  poorer  granitic  soil,  and  a  situation  more  exposed  to 
the  violent  winds,  do  not  allow  of  their  attaining  any  great  size. 
Near  Port  Famine  I  have  seen  more  large  trees  than  anywhere 
else :  I  measured  a  Winter's  Bark  which  was  four  feet  six  inches 
in  girth,  and  several  of  the  beech  were  as  much  as  thirteen  feet. 
Captain  King  also  mentions  a  beech  which  was  seven  feet  in 
diameter  seventeen  feet  above  the  roots. 

There  is  one  vegetable  production  deserving  notice  from  its 
importance  as  an  article  of  food  to  the  Fuegians.  It  is  a  globu- 

*  Captain  Fitz  Roy  informs  me  that  in  April  (our  October),  the  leaves  of 
those  trees  which  grow  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  change  colour,  but 
not  those  on  the  more  elevated  parts.  I  remember  having  read  some  obser- 
vations, showing  that  in  England  the  leaves  fall  earlier  in  a  warm  and  fine 
autumn,  than  in  a  late  and  cold  one.  The  change  in  the  colour  being  here 
retarded  in  the  more  elevated,  and  therefore  colder  situations,  must  be 
owing  to  the  same  general  law  of  vegetation.  The  trees  of  Tierra  del 
Fuego  during  no  part  of  the  year  entirely  shed  their  leaves. 


236  TIERRA   DEL   FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xi. 

!ar,  bright-yellow  fungus,  which  grows  in  vast  numbers  on  the 
beech-trees.  When  young  it  is  elastic  and  turgid,  with  a  smooth 
surface ;  but  when  mature,  it  shrinks,  becomes  tougher,  and  has  its 
entire  surface  deeply  pitted  or  honey- 
combed, as  represented  in  the  accom- 
panying wood-cut.  This  fungus  be- 
longs to  a  new  and  curious  genus  ;*  I 
found  a  second  species  on  another  spe- 
cies of  beech  in  Chile ;  and  Dr.  Hooker 
informs  me,  that  just  lately  a  third 
species  has  been  discovered  on  a  third 
species  of  beech  in  Van  Diemen's 
Land.  How  singular  is  this  relation- 
ship between  parasitical  fungi  and  the  trees  on  which  they  grow, 
in  distant  parts  of  the  world  !  In  Tierra  del  Fuego  the  fungus 
in  its  tough  and  mature  state  is  collected  in  large  quantities  by 
the  women  and  children,  and  is  eaten  uncooked.  It  has  a  muci- 
laginous, slightly  sweet  taste,  with  a  faint  smell  like  that  of  a 
mushroom.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  berries,  chiefly  of  a 
dwarf  arbutus,  the  natives  eat  no  vegetable  food  besides  this  fun- 
gus. In  New  Zealand,  before  the  introduction  of  the  potato, 
the  roots  of  the  fern  were  largely  consumed  ;  at  the  present  time, 
I  believe,  Tierra  del  Fuego  is  the  only  country  in  the  world 
where  a  cryptogamic  plant  affords  a  staple  article  of  food. 

The  zoology  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  as  might  have  been  expected 
from  the  nature  of  its  climate  and  vegetation,  is  very  poor.  Of 
mammalia,  besides  whales  and  seals,  there  is  one  bat,  a  kind  of 
mouse  (Reithrodon  chinchilloides),  two  true  mice,  a  ctenomys 
allied  to  or  identical  with  the  tucutuco,  two  foxes  (Canis  Magel- 
lanicus  and  C.  Azarse),  a  sea-otter,  the  guanaco,  and  a  deer. 
Most  of  these  animals  inhabit  only  the  drier  eastern  parts  of  the 
country ;  and  the  deer  has  never  been  seen  south  of  the  Strait  of 
Magellan.  Observing  the  general  correspondence  of  the  cliffs 
of  soft  sandstone,  mud,  and  shingle,  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the 
Strait,  and  on  some  intervening  islands,  one  is  strongly  tempted 

*  Described  from  my  specimens,  and  notes  by  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Berkeley,  in 
the  Linnean  Transactions  (vol.  xix.  p.  .37),  under  the  name  of  Cyttaria 
Darwinii:  the  Chilian  species  is  the  C.  Berteroii.  This  genus  is  allied  to 
Bulgaria. 


1834.]  ZOOLOGY.  237 

to  believe  that  the  land  was  once  joined,  and  thus  allowed  ani- 
mals so  delicate  and  helpless  as  the  tucutuco  and  Reithrodon  to 
pass  over.  The  correspondence  of  the  cliffs  is  far  from  proving 
any  junction  ;  because  such  cliffs  generally  are  formed  by  the  in- 
tersection of  sloping  deposits,  which,  before  the  elevation  of  the 
land,  had  been  accumulated  near  the  then  existing  shores.  It  is, 
however,  a  remarkable  coincidence,  that  in  the  two  large  islands 
cut  off  by  the  Beagle  Channel  from  the  rest  of  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
one  has  cliffs  composed  of  matter  that  may  be  called  stratified 
alluvium,  which  front  similar  ones  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
channel, — while  the  other  is  exclusively  bordered  by  old  crystal- 
line rocks :  in  the  former,  called  Navarin  Island,  both  foxes  and 
guanacos  occur ;  but  in  the  latter,  Hoste  Island,  although  simi- 
lar in  every  respect,  and  only  separated  by  a  channel  a  little  mor*> 
than  half  a  mile  wide,  I  have  the  word  of  Jemmy  Button  for 
saying,  that  neither  of  these  animals  are  found. 

The  gloomy  woods  are  inhabited  by  few  birds :  occasionally 
the  plaintive  note  of  a  white-tufted  tyrant-flycatcher  (Myiobius 
albiceps)  may  be  heard,  concealed  near  the  summit  of  the  most 
lofty  trees;  and  more  rarely  the  loud  strange  cry  of  a  black 
woodpecker,  with  a  fine  scarlet  crest  on  its  head.  A  little,  dusky- 
coloured  wren  (Scytalopus  Magellanicus)  hops  in  a  skulking 
manner  among  the  entangled  mass  of  the  fallen  and  decaying 
trunks.  But  the  creeper  (Oxyurus  tupinieri)  is  the  commonest 
bird  in  the  country.  Throughout  the  beech  forests,  high  up  and 
low  down,  in  the  most  gloomy,  wet,  and  impenetrable  ravines,  it 
may  be  met  with.  This  little  bird  no  doubt  appears  more  nu- 
merous than  it  really  is,  from  its  habit  of  following  with  seeming 
curiosity  any  person  who  enters  these  silent  woods :  continually 
uttering  a  harsh  twitter,  it  flutters  from  tree  to  tree,  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  intruder's  face.  It  is  far  from  wishing  for  the 
modest  concealment  of  the  true  creeper  (Certhia  familiaris)  ;  nor 
does  it,  like  that  bird,  run  up  the  trunks  of  trees,  but  industri- 
ously, after  the  manner  of  a  willow-wren,  hops  about,  and 
searches  for  insects  on  every  twig  and  branch.  In  the  more 
open  parts,  three  or  four  species  of  finches,  a  thrush,  a  starling  (or 
Icterus),  two  Opetiorhynchi,  and  several  hawks  and  owls  occur. 

The  absence  of  any  species  whatever  in  the  whole  class  of 
Reptiles,  is  a  marked  feature  in  vhe  zoology  of  this  country,  as 


238  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xi. 

well  as  in  that  of  the  Falkland  Islands.  I  do  not  ground  this 
statement  merely  on  my  own  observation,  but  I  heard  it  from 
the  Spanish  inhabitants  of  the  latter  place,  and  from  Jemmy 
Button  with  regard  to  Tierra  del  Fuego.  On  the  banks  of  the 
Santa  Cruz,  in  50°  south,  I  saw  a  frog ;  and  it  is  not  improbable 
that  these  animals,  as  well  as  lizards,  may  be  found  as  far  south 
as  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  where  the  country  retains  the  charac- 
ter of  Patagonia  ;  but  within  the  damp  and  cold  limit  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego  not  one  occurs.  That  the  climate  would  not  have 
suited  some  of  the  orders,  such  as  lizards,  might  have  been  fore- 
Been  ;  but  with  respect  to  frogs,  this  was  not  so  obvious. 

Beetles  occur  in  very  small  numbers :  it  was  loag  before 
I  could  believe  that  a  country  as  large  as  Scotland,  covered  with 
vegetable  productions  and  with  a  variety  of  stations,  could  be  so 
unproductive.  The  few  which  I  found  were  alpine  species  (Har- 
palidae  and  Heteromidae)  living  under  stones.  The  vegetable- 
feeding  Chrysomelidse,  so  eminently  characteristic  of  the  Tropics, 
are  here  almost  entirely  absent  ;*  I  saw  very  few  flies,  butterflies, 
or  bees,  and  no  crickets  or  Orthoptera.  In  the  pools  of  water  I 
found  but  few  aquatic  beetles,  and  not  any  fresh-water  shells : 
Succinea  at  first  appears  an  exception  ;  but  here  it  must  be  called 
a  terrestrial  shell,  for  it  lives  on  the  damp  herbage  far  from 
water.  Land-shells  could  be  procured  only  in  the  same  alpine 
situations  with  the  beetles.  I  have  already  contrasted  the  climate 
as  well  as  the  general  appearance  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  with  that 
of  Patagonia ;  and  the  difference  is  strongly  exemplified  in  the 
entomology.  I  do  not  believe  they  have  one  species  in  common  ; 
certainly  the  general  character  of  the  insects  is  widely  different. 

If  we  turn  from  the  land  to  the  sea,  we  shall  find  the  latter  as 
abundantly  stocked  with  living  creatures  as  the  former  is  poorly 
so.  In  all  parts  of  the  world  a  rocky  and  partially  protected 
shore  perhaps  supports,  in  a  given  space,  a  greater  number  of 

*  I  believe  I  must  except  one  alpine  Haltica,  and  a  single  specimen  of  a 
Melasoma.  Mr.  Waterhouse  informs  me,  that  of  the  Harpalidae  there  arc 
eight  or  nine  species — the  forms  of  the  greater  number  being  very  peculiar ; 
of  Heteromera,  four  or  five  species ;  of  Rhyncophora  six  or  seven ;  and 
of  the  following  families  one  species  in  each :  Staphylinidaj,  Elateridae, 
Ccbrionidffl,  Melolouthidae.  The  species  in  the  other  orders  are  even  fewer. 
In  all  the  orders,  the  scarcity  of  the  individuals  is  even  more  remarkable 
than  that  of  the  species.  Most  of  the  Coleoptera  have  been  carefully  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Waterhouse  in  the  Annals  of  Nat.  Hist. 


1834.]  GREAT   SEA-WEED.  239 

individual  animals  than  any  other  station.  There  is  one  marine 
production,  which  from  its  importance  is  worthy  of  a  particular 
history.  It  is  the  kelp,  or  Macrocystis  pyrifera.  This  plant 
grows  on  every  rock  from  low-water  mark  to  a  great  depth, 
both  on  the  outer  coast  and  within  the  channels.*  I  believe, 
during  the  voyages  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle,  not  one  rock 
near  the  surface  was  discovered  which  was  not  buoyed  by  this 
rioating  weed.  The  good  service  it  thus  affords  to  vessels  navi- 
gating near  this  stormy  land  is  evident ;  and  it  certainly  has 
saved  many  a  one  from  being  wrecked.  I  know  few  things  more 
surprising  than  to  see  this  plant  growing  and  flourishing  amidst 
those  great  breakers  of  the  western  ocean,  which  no  mass  of  rock, 
let  it  be  ever  so  hard,  can  long  resist.  The  stem  is  round, 
slimy,  and  smooth,  and  seldom  has  a  diameter  of  so  much  as  an 
inch.  A  few  taken  together  are  sufficiently  strong  to  support 
the  weight  of  the  large  loose  stones,  to  which  in  the  inland  chan- 
nels they  grow  attached ;  and  yet  some  of  these  stones  were  so 
heavy  that  when  drawn  to  the  surface,  they  could  scarcely  be 
lifted  into  a  boat  by  one  person.  Captain  Cook,  in  his  second 
voyage,  says,  that  this  plant  at  Kerguelen  Land  rises  from  a 
greater  depth  than  twenty-four  fathoms ;  "  and  as  it  does  not 
grow  in  a  perpendicular  direction,  but  makes  a  very  acute  angle 
with  the  bottom,  and  much  of  it  afterwards  spreads  many  fathoms 
on  the  surface  erf  the  sea,  I  am  well  warranted  to  say  that  some 
of  it  grows  to  the  length  of  sixty  fathoms  and  upwards."  I  do 
not  suppose  the  stem  of  any  other  plant  attains  so  great  a  length 
as  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  as  stated  by  Captain  Cook. 
Captain  Fitz  Roy,  moreover,  found  it  growing  f  up  from  the 

*  Its  geographical  range  is  remarkably  -wide;  it  is  found  from  the 
extreme  southern  islets  near  Cape  Horn,  as  far  north  on  the  eastern  coast 
(according  to  information  given  me  by  Mr.  Stokes)  as  lat.  43°, — but 
on  the  western  coast,  as  Dr.  Hooker  tells  me,  it  extends  to  the  R.  San 
Francisco  in  California,  and  perhaps  even  to  Kamtschatka.  We  thus  have 
an  immense  range  in  latitude ;  and  as  Cook,  who  must  have  been  well 
acquainted  with  the  species,  found  it  at  Kerguelen  Land,  no  less  than  140° 
in  longitude. 

t  Voyages  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle,  vol.  i.  p.  3CS. — It  appears  that  sea- 
weed grows  extremely  quick.  Mr.  Stephenson  found  (Wilson's  Voyage 
round  Scotland,  vol.  ii.  p.  228)  that  a  rock  uncovered  only  at  spring-tides, 
which  had  been  chiselled  smooth  in  November,  on  the  following  May,  that 
is  within  six  months  afterwards,  was  thickly  covered  with  Fucus  digitatus 
ITTO  feet,  arid  F.  esculentus  six  feet,  in  length. 


240  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xi. 

greater  depth  of  forty-five  fathoms.  The  beds  of  this  sea-weed, 
even  when  of  not  great  breadth,  make  excellent  natural  floating 
breakwaters.  It  is  quite  curious  to  see,  in  an  exposed  harbour, 
how  soon  the  waves  from  the  open  sea,  as  they  travel  through 
the  straggling  stems,  sink  in  height,  and  pass  into  smooth 
water. 

The  number  of  living  creatures  of  all  Orders,  whose  existence 
intimately  depends  on  the  kelp,  is  wonderful.  A  great  volume 
might  be  written,  describing  the  inhabitants  of  one  of  these  beds 
of  sea-weed.  Almost  all  the  leaves,  excepting  those  that  float  on 
the  surface,  are  so  thickly  incrusted  with  corallines  as  to  be  of  a 
white  colour.  We  find  exquisitely  delicate  structures,  some  in- 
habited by  simple  hydra-like  polypi,  others  by  more  organized 
kinds,  and  beautiful  compound  Ascidise.  On  the  leaves,  also, 
various  patelliform  shells,  Trochi,  uncovered  molluscs,  and  some 
bivalves  are  attached.  Innumerable  Crustacea  frequent  every 
part  of  the  plant.  On  shaking  the  great  entangled  roots,  a  pile 
of  small  fish,  shells,  cuttle-fish,  crabs  of  all  orders,  sea-eggs,  star- 
fkh,  beautiful  Holuthurise,  Planariae,  and  crawling  nereidous 
animals  of  a  multitude  of  forms,  all  fall  out  together.  Often  as 
I  recurred  to  a  branch  of  the  kelp,  I  never  failed  to  discover 
animals  of  new  and  curious  structures.  In  Chiloe,  where  the 
kelp  does  not  thrive  very  well,  the  numerous  shells,  corallines, 
and  Crustacea  are  absent ;  but  there  yet  remain  a  few  of  the 
Flustraceae,  and  some  compound  Ascidise  ;  the  latter,  however, 
are  of  different  species  from  those  in  Tierra  del  Fuego :  we 
here  see  the  fucus  possessing  a  wider  range  than  the  animals 
which  use  it  as  an  abode.  I  can  only  compare  these  great 
aquatic  forests  of  the  southern  hemisphere,  with  the  terrestrial 
ones  in  the  intertropical  regions.  Yet  if  in  any  country  a  forest 
was  destroyed,  I  do  not  believe  nearly  so  many  species  of  animals 
would  perish  as  would  here,  from  the  destruction  of  the  kelp. 
Amidst  the  leaves  of  this  plant  numerous  species  of  fish  live, 
which  nowhere  else  could  find  food  or  shelter ;  with  their  destruc- 
tion the  many  cormorants  and  other  fishing  birds,  the  otters, 
seals,  and  porpoisos,  would  soon  perish  also;  and  lastly,  the 
Fuegian  savage,  the  miserable  lord  of  this  miserable  land,  would 
redouble  his  cannibal  feast,  decrease  in  numbers,  and  perhaps 
cease  to  exist. 


1834.]  MOUNT  SARMIENTO.  241 

June  8th. — We  weighed  anchor  early  in  the  morning  and  left 
Fort  Famine.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  leave  the  Strait 
of  Magellan  by  the  Magdalen  Channel,  which  had  not  long  been 
discovered.  Our  course  lay  due  south,  down  that  gloomy  pas- 
sage which  I  have  before  alluded  to,  as  appearing  to  lead  to 
another  and  worse  world.  The  wind  was  fair,  but  the  atmos- 
phere was  very  thick  ;  so  that  we  missed  much  curious  scenery. 
The  dark  ragged  clouds  were  rapidly  driven  over  the  mountains, 
from  their  summits  nearly  down  to  their  bases.  The  glimpses 
which  we  caught  through  the  dusky  mass,  were  highly  interest- 
ing ;  jagged  points,  cones  of  snow,  blue  glaciers,  strong  outlines, 
marked  on  a  lurid  sky,  were  seen  at  different  distances  and  heights. 
In  the  midst  of  such  scenery  we  anchored  at  Cape  Turn,  close 
to  Mount  Sarmiento,  which  was  then  hidden  in  the  clouds.  At 
the  base  of  the  lofty  and  almost  perpendicular  sides  of  our  little 
cove  there  was  one  deserted  wigwam,  and  it  alone  reminded  us 
that  man  sometimes  wandered  into  these  desolate  regions.  But 
it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  scene  where  he  seemed  to  have 
fewer  claims  or  less  authority.  The  inanimate  works  of  nature — 
rock,  ice,  snow,  wind,  and  water — all  warring  with  each  other, 
yet  combined  against  man — here  reigned  in  absolute  sovereignty. 

June  Qth. — In  the  morning  we  were  delighted  by  seeing  the 
veil  of  mist  gradually  rise  from  Sarmiento,  and  display  it 
to  our  view.  This  mountain,  which  is  one  of  the  highest  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  has  an  altitude  of  6800  feet.  Its  base,  for 
about  an  eighth  of  its  total  height,  is  clothed  by  dusky  woods, 
and  above  this  a  field  of  snow  extends  to  the  summit.  These 
vast  piles  of  snow,  which  never  melt,  and  seem  destined  to  last 
as  long  as  the  world  holds  together,  present  a  noble  and  even 
sublime  spectacle.  The  outline  of  the  mountain  was  admirably 
clear  and  defined.  Owing  to  the  abundance  of  light  reflected 
from  the  white  and  glittering  surface,  no  shadows  were  cast  on 
any  part ;  and  those  lines  which  intersected  the  sky  could  alone 
be  distinguished :  hence  the  mass  stood  out  in  the  boldest  relief. 
Several  glaciers  descended  in  a  winding  course  from  the  upper 
great  expanse  of  snow  to  the  sea-coast :  they  may  be  likened  to 
great  frozen  Niagaras ;  and  perhaps  these  cataracts  of  blue  ice 
are  full  as  beautiful  as  the  moving  ones  of  water.  By  night  we 
reached  the  western  part  of  the  channel ;  but  the  water  was  so 


242  CLIMATE  AND  PRODUCTIONS   OF  [CHAP.  n. 

deep  that  no  anchorage  could  be  found.  We  were  in  consequence 
obliged  to  stand  off  and  on  in  this  narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  during 
a  pitch-dark  night  of  fourteen  hours  long. 

June  IQth. — In  the  morning  we  made  the  best  of  our  way 
into  the  open  Pacific.  The  Western  coast  generally  consists  oi 
low,  rounded,  quite  barren  hills  of  granite  and  greenstone.  Sir 
J.  Narborough  called  one  part  South  Desolation,  because  it  is 
"  so  desolate  a  land  to  behold :"  and  well  indeed  might  he  say  so. 
Outside  the  main  islands,  there  are  numberless  scattered  rocks  on 
which  the  long  swell  of  the  open  ocean  incessantly  rages.  We 
passed  out  between  the  East  and  West  Furies ;  and  a  little  far- 
ther northward  there  are  so  many  breakers  that  the  sea  is  called 
the  Milky  Way.  One  sight  of  such  a  coast  is  enough  to  make  a 
landsman  dream  for  a  week  about  shipwrecks,  peril,  and  death  ;  and 
with  this  sight  we  bade  farewell  for  ever  to  Tierra  del  Fuego. 


The  following  discussion  on  the  climate  of  the  southern  parts 
of  the  continent  with  relation  to  its  productions,  on  the  snow- 
line,  on  the  extraordinarily  low  descent  of  the  glaciers,  and 
on  the  zone  of  perpetual  congelation  in  the  antarctic  islands,  may 
be  passed  over  by  any  one  not  interested  in  these  curious  sub- 
jects, or  the  final  recapitulation  alone  may  be  read.  I  shall, 
however,  here  give  only  an  abstract,  and  must  refer  for  details 
to  the  Thirteenth  Chapter  and  the  Appendix  of  the  fonrer 
edition  of  this  work. 

On  the  Climate  and  Productions  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  ana 
of  the  South-west  Coast. — The  following  table  gives  the  mean 
temperature  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  Falkland  Islands,  and,  for 
comparison,  that  of  Dublin  : — 

i   ..f  A  Summer  Winter    Mean  of  Summer 

LaUtude.  .,.  Temp          an(i  winter. 

Tierra  del  Fuego  .     .     53°  38'S.        50°  33°-08        41°-54 

Falkland  Islands   .     .     51    30  S.        51  — 

Dublin        ....     53    21 N.        59  -54         39  -2  49  '37 

Hence  we  see  that  the  central  part  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  is 
colder  in  winter,  and  no  less  than  9^°  less  hot  in  summer,  than 
Dublin.  According  to  Von  Buch  the  mean  temperature  of 
July  (not  the  hottest  month  in  the  year)  at  Saltenfiord  in  Nor- 
way, is  as  high  as  57°.8,  and  this  place  is  actually  13°  nearer 


1834.]    TIERRA  DEL   FUEGO   AND   THE   WEST   COAST.          243 

the  pole  than  Port  Famine!*  Inhospitable  as  this  climate 
appears  to  our  feelings,  evergreen  trees  flourish  luxuriantly  under 
it.  Humming-birds  may  be  seen  sucking  the  flowers,  and  parrots 
feeding  on  the  seeds  of  the  Winter's  Bark,  in  lat.  55°  S.  I  have 
already  remarked  to  what  a  degree  the  sea  swarms  with  living 
creatures  ;  and  the  shells  (such  as  the  Patellae,  Fissurellae,  Chitons, 
and  Barnacles),  according  to  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  are  of  a  much 
larger  size,  and  of  a  more  vigorous  growth,  than  the  analogous 
species  in  the  northern  hemisphere.  A  large  Voluta  is  abundant 
in  southern  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  the  Falkland  Islands.  At 
Bahia  Blanca,  in  lat  39°  S.,  the  most  abundant  shells  were  three 
species  of  Oliva  (one  of  large  size),  one  or  two  Volutas,  and  a 
Terebra.  Now  these  are  amongst  the  best  characterised  tropical 
forms.  It  is  doubtful  whether  even  one  small  species  of  Oliva 
exists  on  the  southern  shores  of  Europe,  and  there  are  no  species  of 
the  two  other  genera.  If  a  geologist  were  to  find  in  lat.  39°  on 
the  coast  of  Portugal,  a  bed  containing  numerous  shells  belonging 
to  three  species  of  Oliva,  to  a  Voluta  and  Terebra,  he  would 
probably  assert  that  the  climate  at  the  period  of  their  existence 
must  have  been  tropical ;  but  judging  from  South  America,  such 
an  inference  might  be  erroneous. 

The  equable,  humid,  and  windy  climate  of  Tierra  del  Fuego 
extends,  with  only  a  small  increase  of  heat,  for  many  degrees 
along  the  west  coast  of  the  continent.  The  forests,  for  600 
miles  northward  of  Cape  Horn,  have  a  very  similar  aspect.  As 
a  proof  of  the  equable  climate,  even  for  300  or  400  miles  still 
further  northward,  I  may  mention  that  in  Chiloe  (corresponding 
in  latitude  with  the  northern  parts  of  Spain)  the  peach  seldom 
produces  fruit,  whilst  strawberries  and  apples  thrive  to  perfec- 
tion. Even  the  crops  of  barley  and  wheat  -f  are  often  brought 
into  the  houses  to  be  dried  and  ripened.  At  Valdivia  (in  the 
same  latitude  of  40°,  with  Madrid)  grapes  and  figs  ripen,  but  are 
not  common;  olives  seldom  ripen 'even  partially,  and  oranges 

*  With  respect  to  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  results  are  deduced  from  the 
observations  by  Capt.  King  (Geographical  Journal,  1830),  and  those  taken 
on  board  the  Beagle.  For  the  Falkland  Islands,  I  am  indebted  to  Capt. 
Sulivan  for  the  mean  of  the  mean  temperature  (reduced  from  careful  ob- 
servation at  midnight,  8  A.M.,  noon,  and  8  P.M.)  of  the  three  hottest  months 
viz.  December,  January,  ana  February.  The  temperature  of  Dublin  u 
taken  from  Barton. 

t  Agueros,  Descrip.  Hist,  de  la  Prcw.  de  Chiloe,  1791,  p.  94. 


244  HEIGHT   OF   SNOW-LINE.  [CHAP.  xi. 

not  at  all.  These  fruits,  in  corresponding  latitudes  in  Europe, 
are  well  known  to  succeed  to  perfection  ;  and  even  in  this  con- 
tinent, at  the  Rio  Negro,  under  nearly  the  same  parallel  with 
Valdivia,  sweet  potatoes  (convolvulus)  are  cultivated ;  and 
grapes,  figs,  olives,  oranges,  water  and  musk  melons,  produce 
abundant  fruit.  Although  the  humid  and  equable  climate  of 
Chiloe,  and  of  the  coast  northward  and  southward  of  it,  is  so  un- 
favourable to  our  fruits,  yet  the  native  forests,  from  lat.  45°  to 
38°,  almost  rival  in  luxuriance  those  of  the  glowing  intertropical 
regions.  Stately  trees  of  many  kinds,  with  smooth  and  highly 
coloured  barks,  are  loaded  by  parasitical  monocotyledonous 
plants ;  large  and  elegant  ferns  are  numerous,  and  arborescent 
grasses  entwine  the  trees  into  one  entangled  mass  to  the  height 
of  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  ground.  'Palm-trees  grow  in 
lat.  37° ;  an  arborescent  grass,  very  like  a  bamboo,  in  40° ;  and 
another  closely  allied  kind,  of  great  length,  but  not  erect,  flou- 
rishes even  as  far  south  as  45°  S. 

An  equable  climate,  evidently  due  to  the  large  area  of  sea 
compared  with  the  land,  seems  to  extend  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  southern  hemisphere ;  and  as  a  consequence,  the  vegetation 
partakes  of  a  semi-tropical  character.  Tree-ferns  thrive  luxuri- 
antly in  Van  Diemen's  Land  (lat.  45°),  and  I  measured  one 
trunk  no  less  than  six  feet  in  circumference.  An  arborescent 
fern  was  found  by  Forster  in  New  Zealand  in  46°,  where  orchi- 
deous  plants  are  parasitical  on  the  trees.  In  the  Auckland 
Islands,  ferns,  according  to  Dr.  Dieffenbach,*  have  trunks  so 
thick  and  high  that  they  may  be  almost  called  tree-ferns ;  and 
in  these  islands,  and  even  as  far  south  as  lat.  55°  in  the  Mac- 
quarrie  Islands,  parrots  abound. 

On  the  Height  of  the  Snow-line,  and  on  the  Descent  of  the 
Glaciers,  in  South  America. — For  the  detailed  authorities  for 
the  following  table,  I  must  refer  to  the  former  edition : — 

Latitude  of^ow-line!1                       Observer. 

Equa'orial  region  ;  mean  result  15,748  Humboldt. 

Bolivia,  lat.  16°  to  18°S.      .     .  17,000  Peniland. 

Central  Chile,  lat.  33°  S.      .     .  14,500  to  15.0CO  Gillies,  and  the  Author. 

Chil'.e,  lat.  41°  to  43°  S.       .     .  fi.OOO  Officers  of  the  Beajjle,  and  the  Author. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  54°  S.       .     .  3,500  to  4,000  King. 

A.S  the  height  of  the  plane  of  perpetual  snow  seems  chtefly  to 

*  See  the  German  Translation  of  this  Journal :  and  for  the  other  facts 
Mr.  Brown's  Appendix  to  Fliiiders's  Voyage. 


1834.]  DESCENT   OF   GLACIERS.  245 

be  determined  by  the  extreme  heat  of  the  summer,  rather  than 
by  the  mean  temperature  of  the  year,  we  ought  not  to  be  sur- 
prised at  its  descent  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  where  the  sum- 
mer is  so  cool,  to  only  3500  or  4000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea ;  although  in  Norway,  we  must  travel  to  between  lat.  67° 
and  70°  N.,  that  is,  about  143  nearer  the  pole,  to  meet  with 
perpetual  snow  at  this  low  level.  The  difference  in  height, 
namely,  about  9000  feet,  between  the  snow-line  on  the  Cordil- 
lera behind  Chiloe  (with  its  highest  points  ranging  from  only 
6600  to  7500  feet)  and  in  central  Chile*  (a  distance  of  only  9* 
of  latitude),  is  truly  wonderful.  The  land  from  the  southward 
of  Chiloe  to  near  Concepcion  (lat.  37°),  is  hidden  by  one  dense 
forest  dripping  with  moisture.  The  sky  is  cloudy,  and  we  have 
seen  how  badly  the  fruits  of  southern  Europe  succeed.  In 
central  Chile,  on  the  other  hand,  a  little  northward  of  Con- 
cepcion, the  sky  is  generally  clear,  rain  does  not  fall  for  the 
seven  summer  months,  and  southern  European  fruits  succeed 
admirably  ;  and  even  the  sugar-cane  has  been  cultivated. f  No 
doubt  the  plane  of  perpetual  snow  undergoes  the  above  remark- 
able flexure  of  9000  feet,  unparalleled  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  not  far  from  the  latitude  of  Concepcion,  where  the  land 
ceases  to  be  covered  with  forest-trees  ;  for  trees  in  South  America 
indicate  a  rainy  climate,  and  rain  a  clouded  sky  and  little  heat 
in  summer. 

The  descent  of  glaciers  to  the  sea  must,  I  conceive,  mainly 
depend  (subject,  of  course,  to  a  proper  supply  of  snow  in  the 
upper  region)  on  the  lowness  of  the  line  of  perpetual  snow  on 
steep  mountains  near  the  coast.  As  the  snow-line  is  so  low  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  we  might  have  expected  that  many  of  the 
glaciers  would  have  reached  the  sea.  Nevertheless  I  was  asto- 
nished when  I  first  saw  a  range,  only  from  3000  to  4000  feet  in 
height,  in  the  latitude  of  Cumberland,  with  every  valley  filled 

*  On  the  Cordillera  of  central  Chile,  I  believe  the  snow-line  varies  ex- 
ceedingly in  height  in  different  summers.  I  was  assured  that  during  one 
very  dry  and  long  summer,  all  the  snow  disappeared  from  Aconcagua, 
although  it  attains  the  prodigious  height  of  23,000  feet  It  is  probable  that 
much  of  the  snow  at  these  great  heights  is  evaporated,  rather  than  thawed. 

t  Miers's  Chile,  vol.  i.  p.  415.  It  is  said  that  the  sugar-cane  grew  at 
Ingenio,  lat.  32°  to  33°,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  the  manu&cture 
profitable.  In  the  valley  of  Quillota  south  of  Ingenio,  I  saw  some  largo 
date  palm-trees. 


246 


FLOATING   ICEBERGS. 


[CHAP.  xi. 


with  streams  of  ice  descending  to  the  sea-coast.  Almost  every 
arm  of  the  sea,  which  penetrates  to  the  interior  higher  chain, 
not  only  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  but  on  the  coast  for  650  miles 
northwards,  is  terminated  by  "  tremendous  and  astonishing  gla- 
ciers," as  described  by  one  of  the  officers  on  the  survey.  Great 
masses  of  ice  frequently  fall  from  these  icy  cliffs,  and  the  crash 
reverberates  like  the  broadside  of  a  man-of-war,  through  the 
lonely  channels.  These  falls,  as  noticed  in  the  last  chapter',  pro- 
duce great  waves  which  break  on  the  adjoining  coasts.  It  is 
known  that  earthquakes  frequently  cause  masses  of  earth  to  fall 
from  sea-cliffs :  how  terrific,  then,  would  be  the  effect  of  a  serere 
shock  (and  such  occur  here*)  on  a  body  like  a  glacier,  already 
in  motion,  and  traversed  by  fissures  !  I  can  readily  believe  that 
the  water  would  be  fairly  beaten  back  out  of  the  deepest  channel, 
and  then  returning  with  an  overwhelming  force,  would  whirl 
about  huge  masses  of  rock  like  so  much  chaff.  In  Eyre's  Sound, 
in  the  latitude  of  Paris,  there  are  immense  glaciers,  and  yet  the 
loftiest  neighbouring  mountain  is  only  6200  feet  high.  In  this 
Sound,  about  fifty  icebergs  were  seen  at  one  time  floating  out- 
wards, and  one  of  them  must  have  been  at  least  168  feet  in  total 

46°  40'. 


-      —50* 


47°  W. 


*  Bulfceley's  and  Cmrnnin's  Faithful  Narrative  of  the  Loss  of  the  Wage) 
The  earthquake  happened  August  25,  1741. 


1834.]  ERRATIC   BOULDERS.  247 

height.  Some  of  the  icebergs  were  loaded  with  blocks  of  no 
inconsiderable  size,  of  granite  and  other  rocks,  different  from  the 
clay-slate  of  the  surrounding  mountains.  The  glacier  furthest 
from  the  Pole,  surveyed  during  the  voyages  of  the  Adventure 
and  Beagle,  is  in  lat.  46°  50',  in  the  Gulf  of  Penas.  It  is  15 
miles  long,  and  in  one  part  7  broad,  and  descends  to  the  sea- 
coast.  But  even  a  few  miles  northward  of  this  glacier,  in  the 
Laguna  de  San  Rafael,  some  Spanish  missionaries  *  encountered 
"  many  icebergs,  some  great,  some  small,  and  others  middle- 
sized,"  in  a  narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  on  the  22nd  of  the  month 
corresponding  with  our  June,  and  in  a  latitude  corresponding 
with  that  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva! 

In  Europe,  the  most  southern  glacier  which  comes  down  to  the 
sea  is  met  with,  according  to  Von  Buch,  on  the  coast  of  Norway, 
in  lat.  67°.  Now  this  is  more  than  20°  of  latitude,  or  1230 
miles,  nearer  the  pole  than  the  Laguna  de  San  Rafael.  The 
position  of  the  glaciers  at  this  place  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Penas, 
may  be  put  even,in  a  more  striking  point  of  view,  for  they  de- 
scend to  the  sea-coast,  within  7tj°  of  latitude,  or  450  miles,  of  a 
harbour,  where  three  species  of  Oliva,  a  Voluta,  and  a  Terebra, 
are  the  commonest  shells,  within  less  than  9°  from  where  palms 
grow,  within  4^°  of  a  region  where  the  jaguar  and  puma  range 
over  the  plains,  less  than  2^°  from  arborescent  grasses,  and 
(looking  to  the  westward  in  the  same  hemisphere)  less  than  2° 
from  orchideous  parasites,  and  within  a  single  degree  of  tree- 
ferns  ! 

These  facts  are  of  high  geological  interest  with  respect  to  the 
climate  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  at  the  period  when  boulders 
were  transported.  I  will  not  here  detail  how  simply  the  theory  of 
icebergs  being  charged  with  fragments  of  rock,  explains  the  origin 
and  position  of  the  gigantic  boulders  of  eastern  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
on  the  high  plain  of  Santa  Cruz,  and  on  the  island  of  Chiloe. 
In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  greater  number  of  boulders  lie  on  the 
lines  of  old  sea-channels,  now  converted  into  dry  valleys  by  the 
elevation  of  the  land.  They  are  associated  with  a  great  unstrati- 
fied  formation  of  mud  and  sand,  containing  rounded  and  angular 
fragments  of  all  sizes,  which  has  originated  f  in  the  repeated 

*  Agiieros,  Desc.  Hist,  de  Chiloe,  p.  227. 
t  Geological  Transactions,  vol.  vi.  p.  415. 

17 


248  CLIMATE   AND   PRODUCTIONS   OF  [CHAP.  xi. 

ploughing  up  of  the  sea-bottom  by  the  stranding  of  icebergs,  and 
by  the  matter  transported  on  them.  Few  geologists  now  doubt 
that  those  erratic  boulders  which  lie  near  lofty  mountains,  have 
been  pushed  forward  by  the  glaciers  themselves,  and  that  those 
distant  from  mountains,  and  embedded  in  subaqueous  deposits, 
have  been  conveyed  thither  either  on  icebergs,  or  frozen  in  coast- 
ice.  The  connection  between  the  transportal  of  boulders  and  the 
presence  of  ice  in  some  form,  is  strikingly  shown  by  their  geo- 
graphical distribution  over  the  earth.  In  South  America  they 
are  not  found  further  than  48°  of  latitude,  measured  from  the 
southern  pole ;  in  North  America  it  appears  that  the  limit  of 
their  transportal  extends  to  53^°  from  the  northern  pole;  but  in 
Europe  to  not  more  than  40°  of  latitude,  measured  from  the 
same  point.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  intertropical  parts  of 
America,  Asia,  and  Africa,  they  have  never  been  observed ;  nor 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  nor  in  Australia.* 

On  the  Climate  and  Productions  of  the  Antarctic  Islands. — 
Considering  the  rankness  of  the  vegetation  in  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
and  on  the  coast  northward  of  it,  the  condition  of  the  islands  south 
and  south-west  of  America  is  truly  surprising.  Sandwich  Land, 
in  the  latitude  of  the  north  part  of  Scotland,  was  found  by  Cook, 
during  the  hottest  month  of  the  year,  "  covered  many  fathoms 
thick  with  everlasting  snow ;"  and  there  seems  to  be  scarcely  any 
vegetation.  Georgia,  an  island  96  miles  long  and  10  broad,  in 
the  latitude  of  Yorkshire,  "  in  the  very  height  of  summer,  is  in 
a  manner  wholly  covered  with  frozen  snow."  It  can  boast  only 
of  moss,  some  tufts  of  grass,  and  wild  burnet :  it  has  only  one 
land-bird  (Anthus  correndera},  yet  Iceland,  which  is  10°  nearer 
the  pole,  has,  according  to  Mackenzie,  fifteen  land-birds.  The 
South  Shetland  Islands,  in  the  same  latitude  as  the  southern  half 
of  Norway,  possess  only  some  lichens,  moss,  and  a  little  grass ; 
and  Lieut.  Kendall -f  found  the  bay,  in  which  he  was  at  anchor, 
beginning  to  freeze  at  a  period  corresponding  with  our  8th  of 
September.  The  soil  here  consists  of  ice  and  volcanic  ashes 

*  I  have  given  details  (the  first,  I  believe,  published)  on  this  subject  in  the 
first  edition,  and  in  the  Appendix  to  it.  I  have  there  shown  that  the  appa- 
rent exceptions  to  the  absence  of  erratic  boulders  in  certain  hot  countries, 
are  due  to  erroneous  observations :  several  statements  there  given,  I  have 
since  found  confirmed  by  various  authors. 

t  Geographical  Journal,  1830,  pp.  65,  66. 


1834.]  THE   ANTARCTIC   ISLANDS.  249 

interstratified ;  and  at  a  little  depth  beneath  the  surface  it  must 
remain  perpetually  congealed,  for  Lieut.  Kendall  found  the  body 
of  a  foreign  sailor  which  had  long  been  buried,  with  the  flesh 
and  all  the  features  perfectly  preserved.  It  is  a  singular  fact, 
that  on  the  two  great  continents  in  the  northern  hemisphere, 
(but  not  in  the  broken  land  of  Europe  between  them),  we  have  the 
zone  of  perpetually  frozen  under-soil  in  a  low  latitude — namely, 
in  56°  in  North  America  at  the  depth  of  three  feet,*  and  in 
62°  in  Siberia  at  the  depth  of  twelve  to  fifteen  feet— as  the  result 
of  a  directly  opposite  condition  of  things,  to  those  of  the  southern 
hemisphere.  On  the  northern  continents,  the  winter  is  rendered 
excessively  cold  by  the  radiation  from  a  large  area  of  land  into 
a  clear  sky,  nor  is  it  moderated  by  the  warmth-bringing  currents 
of  the  sea ;  the  short  summer,  on  the  other  hand,  is  hot.  In  the 
Southern  Ocean  the  winter  is  not  so  excessively  cold,  but  the 
Bummer  is  far  less  hot,  for  the  clouded  sky  seldom  allows  the  sun 
to  warm  the  ocean,  itself  a  bad  absorbent  of  heat ;  and  hence  the 
mean  temperature  of  the  year,  which  regulates  the  zone  of  per- 
petually congealed  under-soil,  is  low.  It  is  evident  that  a  rank 
vegetation,  which  does  not  so  much  require  heat  as  it  does  pro- 
tection from  intense  cold,  would  approach  much  nearer  to  this 
zone  of  perpetual  congelation  under  the  equable  climate  of  the 
southern  hemisphere,  than  under  the  extreme  climate  of  the 
northern  continents. 

The  case  of  the  sailor's  body  perfectly  preserved  in  the  icy  soil 
of  the  South  Shetknd  Islands  (lat.  62°  to  63°  S.),  in  a  rather  lower 
latitude  than  that_  (lat.  64°  N.)  under  which  Pallas  found  the 
frozen  rhinoceros  in  Siberia,  is  very  interesting.  Although  it  is 
a  fallacy,  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  show  in  a  former  chapter,  to 
suppose  that  the  larger  quadrupeds  require  a  luxuriant  vege- 
tation for  their  support,  nevertheless  it  is  important  to  find  in 
the  South  Shetland  Islands,  a  frozen  under-soil  within  360  miles 
of  the  forest-clad  islands  near  Cape  Horn,  where,  as  far  as  the 
bulk  of  vegetation  is  concerned,  any  number  of  great  quadrupeds 
might  be  supported.  The  perfect  preservation  of  the  carcasses 
of  the  Siberian  elephants  and  rhinoceroses  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  ikcts  in  geology;  but  independently  of  the 

•  Richardson's  Append,  to  Back's  Exped ,  and  Humboldf  s  Fragm.  Asiat, 
com.  ii.  p.  386. 


260  RECAPITULATION.  [CHAP.  xi. 

imagined  difficulty  of  supplying  them  with  food  from  the  adjoin- 
ing countries,  the  whole  case  is  not,  I  think,  so  perplexing  as  it 
has  generally  been  considered.  The  plains  of  Siberia,  like  those 
of  the  Pampas,  appear  to  have  been  formed  under  the  sea,  into 
which  rivers  brought  down  the  bodies  of  many  animals  ;  of  the 
greater  number  of  these,  only  the  skeletons  have  been  preserved, 
but  of  others  the  perfect  carcass.  Now  it  is  known,  that  in  the 
shallow  sea  on  the  arctic  coast  of  America  the  bottom  freezes,* 
and  does  not  thaw  in  spring  so  soon  as  the  surface  of  the  land ; 
moreover  at  greater  depths,  where  the  bottom  of  the  sea  does  not 
freeze,  the  mud  a  few  feet  beneath  the  top  layer  might  remain  even 
in  summer  below  32°,  as  is  the  case  on  the  land  with  the  soil  at 
the  depth  of  a  few  feet.  At  still  greater  depths,  the  temperature  oi 
the  mud  and  water  would  probably  not  be  low  enough  to  pre- 
serve the  flesh  ;  and  hence,  carcasses  drifted  beyond  the  shallow 
parts  near  an  arctic  coast,  would  have  only  their  skeletons  pre- 
served :  now  in  the  extreme  northern  parts  of  Siberia  bones  are 
infinitely  numerous,  so  that  even  islets  are  said  to  be  almost 
composed  of  them  ;f  and  those  islets  lie  no  less  than  ten  degrees 
of  latitude  north  of  the  place  where  Pallas  found  the  frozen 
rhinoceros.  On  the  other  hand,  a  carcass  washed  by  a  flood  into 
a  shallow  part  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  would  be  preserved  for  an  inde- 
finite period,  if  it  were  soon  afterwards  covered  with  mud,  suffi- 
ciently thick  to  prevent  the  heat  of  the  summer-water  penetrat- 
ing to  it ;  and  if,  when  the  sea -bottom  was  upraised  into  land, 
the  covering  was  sufficiently  thick  to  prevent  the  heat  of  the 
summer  air  and  sun  thawing  and  corrupting  it. 

Recapitulation. — I  will  recapitulate  the  principal  facts  with 
regard  to  the  climate,  ice-action,  and  organic  productions  of  the 
southern  hemisphere,  transposing  the  places  in  imagination  to 
Europe,  with  which  we  are  so  much  better  acquainted.  Then, 
near  Lisbon,  the  commonest  sea-shells,  namely,  three  species  of 
Oliva,  a  Voluta  and  Terebra,  would  have  a  tropical  character.  In 
the  southern  provinces  of  France,  magnificent  forests,  intwined 
by  arborescent  grasses  and  with  the  trees  loaded  with  parasitical 
plants,  would  hide  the  face  of  the  land.  The  puma  and  the 

*  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson,  in  Geograph.  Journ.,  vol.  viii.  pp.  218 
and  220. 
f  Cuvier  (Ossemens  Fossiles,  torn.  i.  p.  151),  from  Billing's  Voyage. 


1834.]  RECAPITULATION.  251 

jaguar  would  haunt  the  Pyrenees.  In  the  latitude  of  Mont 
Blanc,  but  on  an  island  as  far  westward  as  central  North  America, 
tree-ferns  and  parasitical  Orchideae  would  thrive  amidst  the  thick 
woods.  Even  as  far  north  as  central  Denmark,  humming-birds 
would  be  seen  fluttering  about  delicate  flowers,  and  parrots  feed- 
ing amidst  the  evergreen  woods  ;  and  in  the  sea  there,  we  should 
have  a  Voluta,  and  all  the  shells  of  large  size  and  vigorous 
growth.  Nevertheless,  on  some  islands  only  360  miles  northward 
of  our  new  Cape  Horn  in  Denmark,  a  carcass  buried  in  the 
soil  (or  if  washed  into  a  shallow  sea,  and  covered  up  with 
mud)  would  be  preserved  perpetually  frozen.  If  some  bold 
navigator  attempted  to  penetrate  northward  of  these  islands,  he 
would  run  a  thousand  dangers  amidst  gigantic  icebergs,  on  some 
of  which  he  would  see  great  blocks  of  rock  borne  far  awav 
from  their  original  site.  Another  island  of  large  size  in  the 
latitude  of  southern  Scotland,  but  twice  as  far  to  the  west,  would 
be  "  almost  wholly  covered  with  everlasting  enow,"  and  would 
have  each  bay  terminated  by  ice-cliffs,  whence  great  masses 
would  be  yearly  detached :  this  island  would  boast  only  of  a 
little  moss,  grass,  and  burnet,  and  a  titlark  would  be  its  only 
land  inhabitant.  From  our  new  Cape  Horn  in  Denmark,  a  chain 
of  mountains,  scarcely  half  the  height  of  the  Alps,  would  run  in 
a  straight  line  due  southward ;  and  on  its  western  flank  every 
deep  creek  of  the  sea,  or  fiord,  would  end  in  "  bold  and  astonish- 
ing glaciers."  These  lonely  channels  would  frequently  rever- 
berate with  the  falls  of  ice,  and  so  often  would  great  waves  rush 
along  their  coasts ;  numerous  icebergs,  some  as  tall  as  cathedrals, 
and  occasionally  loaded  with  "no  inconsiderable  blocks  of  rock," 
would  be  stranded  on  the  outlying  islets ;  at  intervals  violent 
earthquakes  would  shoot  prodigious  masses  of  ice  into  the  waters 
below.  Lastly,  some  Missionaries  attempting  to  penetrate  a  long 
arm  of  the  sea,  would  behold  the  not  lofty  surrounding  moun- 
tains, sending  down  their  many  grand  icy  streams  to  the  sea- 
coast,  and  their  progress  in  the  boats  would  be  checked  by  the 
innumerable  floating  icebergs,  some  small  and  some  great ;  and 
this  would  have  occurred  on  our  twenty-second  of  June,  and 
where  the  Lake  of  Geneva  is  now  spread  out  !* 

*  In  the  former  edition  and  Appendix,  I  have  given  some  facts  on  the 
transported  of  erratic  boulders  and  icebergs  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean.    This 


CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Valparaiso — Excursion  to  the  foot  of  the  Andes -Structure  of  the  land — 
Ascend  the  Bell  of  Quillota — Shattered  masses  of  greenstone— Immense 
valleys — Mines— State  of  miners — Santiago — Hot-baths  of  Cauquenes — 
Gold-mines— Grinding-mills — Perforated  stones — Habits  of  the  Puma- 
El  Turco  and  Tapacolo — Humming-birds. 

CENTRAL  CHILE. 

July  23rd. — The  Beagle  anchored  late  at  night  in  the  bay  of 
Valparaiso,  the  chief  seaport  of  Chile.  When  morning  came, 
everything  appeared  delightful.  After  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the 
climate  felt  quite  delicious— the  atmosphere  so  dry,  and  the 
heavens  so  clear  and  blue  with  the  sun  shining  brightly,  that  all 
nature  seemed  sparkling  with  life.  The  view  from  the  anchor- 
age is  very  pretty.  The  town  is  built  at  the  very  foot  of  a  range 
of  hills,  about  1600  feet  high,  and  rather  steep.  From  its  posi- 
tion, it  consists  of  one  long,  straggling  street,  which  runs  parallel 
to  the  beach,  and  wherever  a  ravine  comes  down,  the  houses  are 
piled  up  on  each  side  of  it.  The  rounded  hills,  being  only  par- 
tially protected  by  a  very  scanty  vegetation,  are  worn  into  num- 
berless little  gullies,  which  expose  a  singularly  bright  red  soil. 
From  this  cause,  and  from  the  low  whitewashed  houses  with  tile 

subject  has  lately  been  treated  excellently  by  Mr.  Hayes,  in  the  Boston 
Journal  (vol.  iv.  p.  426).  The  author  does  not  appear  aware  of  a  case  pub- 
lished by  me  (Geographical  Journal,  vol.  ix.  p.  528),  of  a  gigantic  boulder 
embedded  in  an  iceberg  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean,  almost  certainly  one  hundred 
miles  distant  from  any  land,  and  perhaps  much  more  distant.  In  the  Ap- 
pendix I  have  discussed  at  le.igth,  the  probability  (at  that  time  hardly 
thought  of)  of  icebergs,  when  stranded,  grooving  and  polishing  rocks,  like 
glaciers.  This  is  now  a  very  commonly  received  opinion ;  and  I  cannot 
still  avoid  the  suspicion  that  it  is  applicable  even  to  such  cases  as  that  of  the 
Jura.  Dr.  Richardson  has  assured  me,  that  the  icebergs  off  North  America 
push  before  them  pebbles  and  sand,  and  leave  the  submarine  rocky  flats 
quite  bare :  it  is  hardly  possible  to  doubt  that  such  ledges  must  be  polished 
and  scored  in  the  direction  of  the  set  of  the  prevailing  currents.  Since 
writing  that  Appendix,  I  have  seen  in  North  Wales  (London  Phil.  Mag., 
vol.  xxi.  p.  180)  the  adjoining  action  of  glaciers  and  of  floating  icebergs. 


1834.]  BAY   OF  VALPARAISO.  263 

roofs,  the  view  reminded  me  of  St.  Cruz  in  Teneriffe.  In  a 
north-easterly  direction  there  are  some  fine  glimpses  of  the 
Andes :  but  these  mountains  appear  much  grander  when  viewed 
from  the  neighbouring  hills ;  the  great  distance  at  which  they 
are  situated,  can  then  more  readily  be  perceived.  The  volcano 
of  Aconcagua  is  particularly  magnificent.  This  huge  and  irre- 
gularly conical  mass  has  an  elevation  greater  than  that  of  Chim- 
borazo  ;  for,  from  measurements  made  by  the  officers  in  the 
Beagle,  its  height  is  no  less  than  23,000  feet.  The  Cordillera, 
however,  viewed  from  this  point,  owe  the  greater  part  of  their 
beauty  to  the  atmosphere  through  which  they  are  seen.  When 
the  sun  was  setting  in  the  Pacific,  it  was  admirable  to  watch 
how  clearly  their  rugged  outlines  could  be  distinguished,  yet 
how  varied  and  how  delicate  were  the  shades  of  their  colour. 

I  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  living  here  Mr.  Richard  Cor- 
field,  an  old  schoolfellow  and  friend,  to  whose  hospitality  and 
kindness  I  was  greatly  indebted,  in  having  afforded  me  a  most 
pleasant  residence  during  the  Beagle's  stay  in  Chile.  The  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  of  Valparaiso  is  not  very  productive  to 
the  naturalist.  During  the  long  summer  the  wind  blows  steadily 
from  the  southward,  and  a  little  off  shore,  so  that  rain  never 
falls ;  during  the  three  winter  months,  however,  it  is  suffici- 
ently abundant.  The  vegetation  in  consequence  is  very  scanty  • 
except  in  some  deep  valleys,  there  are  no  trees,  and  only  a 
little  grass  and  a  few  low  bushes  are  scattered  over  the  less 
steep  parts  of  the  hills.  When  we  reflect,  that  at  the  distance  of 
350  miles  to  the  south,  this  side  of  the  Andes  is  completely 
hidden  by  one  impenetrable  forest,  the  contrast  is  very  remark- 
able. I  took  several  long  walks  while  collecting  objects  of  na- 
tural history.  The  country  is  pleasant  for  exercise.  There  are 
many  very  beautiful  flowers ;  and,  as  in  most  other  dry  climates, 
the  plants  and  shrubs  possess  strong  and  peculiar  odours — even 
one's  clothes  by  brushing  through  them  became  scented.  I  did 
not  cease  from  wonder  at  finding  each  succeeding  day  as  fine  as 
the  foregoing.  What  a  difference  does  climate  make  in  the  en- 
joyment of  life !  How  opposite  are  the  sensations  when  viewing 
black  mountains  half-enveloped  in  clouds,  and  seeing  another 
range  through  the  light  blue  haze  of  a  fine  da^f !  The  one  for  a 
time  may  be  very  sublime ;  the  other  is  all  gaiety  and  haopy  life 


254  CENTRAL   CIIILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

August  14th. — I  set  out  on  a  riding  excursion,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  geologising  the  basal  parts  of  the  Andes,  which  alone  at 
this  time  of  the  year  are  not  shut  up  by  the  winter  snow.  Our 
first  day's  ride  was  northward  along  the  sea-coast.  After  dark 
we  reached  the  Hacienda  of  Quintero,  the  estate  which  formerly 
belonged  to  Lord  Cochrane.  My  object  in  coming  here  was  to 
see  the  great  beds  of  shells,  which  stand  some  yards  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  are  burnt  for  lime.  The  proofs  of  the  ele- 
vation of  this  whole  line  of  coast  are  unequivocal :  at  the  height 
of  a  few  hundred  feet  old-looking  shells  are  numerous,  and  I  found 
some  at  1300  feet.  These  shells  either  lie  loose  on  the  surface, 
or  are  embedded  in  a  reddish-black  vegetable  mould.  I  was 
much  surprised  to  find  under  the  microscope  that  this  vegetable 
mould  is  really  marine  mud,  full  of  minute  particles  of  organic 
bodies. 

I5th.— We  returned  towards  the  valley  of  Quillota.  The 
country  was  exceedingly  pleasant ;  just  such  as  poets  would  call 
pastoral:  green  open  lawns,  separated  by  small  valleys  with 
rivulets,  and  the  cottages,  we  may  suppose  of  the  shepherds,  scat- 
tered on  the  hill-sides.  We  were  obliged  to  cross  the  ridge  of 
the  Chilicauquen.  At  its  base  there  were  many  fine  evergreen 
forest-trees,  but  these  flourished  only  in  the  ravines,  where  there 
was  running  water.  Any  person  who  had  seen  only  the  country 
near  Valparaiso,  would  never  have  imagined  that  there  had 
been  such  picturesque  spots  in  Chile.  As  soon  as  we  reached 
the  brow  of  the  Sierra,  the  valley  of  Quillota  was  immediately 
under  our  feet.  The  prospect  was  one  of  remarkable  artificial 
luxuriance.  The  valley  is  very  broad  and  quite  flat,  and  is  thus 
easily  irrigated  in  all  parts.  The  little  square  gardens  are 
crowded  with  orange  and  olive  trees,  and  every  sort  of  vegetable. 
On  each  side  huge  bare  mountains  rise,  and  this  from  the  con- 
trast renders  the  patchwork  valley  the  more  pleasing.  Who- 
ever called  "  Valparaiso  "  the  "  Valley  of  Paradise,"  must  have 
been  thinking  of  Quillota.  We  crossed  over  to  the  Hacienda  de 
San  Isidro,  situated  at  the  very  foot  of  the  Bell  Mountain. 

Chile,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  maps,  is  a  narrow  strip  of  land 
between  the  Cordillera  and  the  Pacific ;  and  this  strip  is  itself 
traversed  by  several  mountain-lines,  which  in  this  part  run  paral- 
lel to  the  great  range.  Between  these  outer  lines  and  the  main 


1834.]  THE   BELL   OF   QUILLOTA.  265 

Cordillera,  a  succession  of  level  basins,  generally  opening  into 
each  other  by  narrow  passages,  extend  far  to  the  southward :  in 
these,  the  principal  towns  are  situated,  as  San  Felipe,  Santiago; 
San  Fernando.  These  basins  or  plains,  together  with  the  trans 
very  flat  valleys  (like  that  of  Quillota)  which  connect  them  with 
the  coast,  I  have  no  doubt  are  the  bottoms  of  ancient  inlets  and 
deep  bays,  such  as  at  the  present  day  intersect  every  part  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego  and  the  western  coast.  Chile  must  formerly 
have  resembled  the  latter  country  in  the  configuration  of  its  land 
and  water.  The  resemblance  was  occasionally  shown  strikingly 
when  a  level  fog-bank  covered,  as  with  a  mantle,  all  the  lower 
parts  of  the  country :  the  white  vapour  curling  into  the  ravines, 
beautifully  represented  little  coves  and  bays ;  and  here  and  there 
a  solitary  hillock  peeping  up,  showed  that  it  had  formerly  stood 
there  as  an  islet.  The  contrast  of  these  flat  valleys  and  basins 
with  the  irregular  mountains,  gave  the  scenery  a  character  which 
to  me  was  new  and  very  interesting. 

From  the  natural  slope  to  seaward  of  these  plains,  they  are  very 
easily  irrigated,  and  in  consequence  singularly  fertile.  Without 
this  process  the  land  would  produce  scarcely  anything,  for  during 
the  whole  summer  the  sky  is  cloudless.  The  mountains  and  hills 
are  dotted  over  with  bushes  and  low  trees,  and  excepting  these 
the  vegetation  is  very  scanty.  Each  landowner  in  the  valley 
possesses  a  certain  portion  of  hill-country,  where  his  half-wild 
cattle,  in  considerable  numbers,  manage  to  find  sufficient  pasture. 
Once  every  year  there  is  a  grand  "  rodeo,"  when  all  the  cattle 
are  driven  down,  counted,  arid  marked,  and  a  certain  number 
separated  to  be  fattened  in  the  irrigated  fields.  Wheat  is  exten- 
sively cultivated,  and  a  good  deal  of  Indian  corn :  a  kind  of  bean 
is,  however,  the  staple  article  of  food  for  the  common  labourers. 
The  orchards  produce  an  overflowing  abundance  of  peaches,  figs. 
and  grapes.  With  all  these  advantages,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country  ought  to  be  much  more  prosperous  than  they  are. 

16th. — The  mayor-domo  of  the  Hacienda  was  good  enough  to 
give  me  a  guide  and  fresh  horses ,  and  in  the  morning  we  set  out 
to  ascend  the  Campana,  or  Bell  Mountain,  which  is  6400  feet 
high.  The  paths  were  very  bad,  but  both  the  geology  and  scenery 
amply  repaid  the  trouble.  We  reached,  by  the  evening,  a  spring 
called  the  Agua  del  Guanaco,  which  is  situated  at  a  great  height 


256  CENTRAL   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

This  must  be  an  old  name,  for  it  is  very  many  years  since  a  gua- 
naco  drank  its  waters.  During  the  ascent  I  noticed  that  nothing 
but  bushes  grew  on  the  northern  slope,  whilst  on  the  southern 
slope  there  was  a  bamboo  about  fifteen  feet  high.  In  a  few 
places  there  were  palms,  and  I  was  surprised  to  see  one  at  an 
elevation  of  at  least  4500  feet.  These  palms  are,  for  their  family, 
ugly  trees.  Their  stem  is  very  large,  and  of  a  curious  form, 
being  thicker  in  the  middle  than  at  the  base  or  top.  They  are 
excessively  numerous  in  some  parts  of  Chile,  and  valuable  on  ac- 
count of  a  sort  of  treacle  made  from  the  sap.  On  one  estate  neai 
Petorca  they  tried  to  count  them,  but  failed,  after  having  num- 
bered several  hundred  thousand.  Every  year  in  the  early  spring, 
in  August,  very  many  are  cut  down,  and  when  the  trunk  is  lying 
on  the  ground,  the  crown  of  leaves  is  lopped  off.  The  sap  then 
immediately  begins  to  flow  from  the  upper  end,  and  continues  so 
doing  for  some  months  :  it  is,  however,  necessary  that  a  thin  slice 
should  be  shaved  oft'  from  that  end  every  morning,  eo  as  to  ex- 
pose a  fresli  surface.  A  good  tree  will  give  ninety  gallons,  and 
all  this  must  have  been  contained  in  the  vessels  of  the  apparently 
dry  trunk.  It  is  said  that  the  sap  flows  much  more  quickly  on 
those  days  when  the  sun  is  powerful ;  and  likewise,  that  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  take  care,  in  cutting  down  the  tree,  that  it 
should  fall  w.ith  its  head  upwards  on  the  side  of  the  hill ;  for  if  it 
falls  down  the  slope,  scarcely  any  sap  will  flow ;  although  in  that 
case  one  would  have  thought  that  the  action  would  have  been 
aided,  instead  of  checked,  by  the  force  of  gravity.  The  sap  is 
concentrated  by  boiling,  and  is  then  called  treacle,  which  it  very 
much  resembles  in  taste. 

We  unsaddled  our  horses  near  the  spring,  and  prepared  to 
pass  the  night.  The  evening  was  fine,  and  the  atmosphere  so 
clear,  that  the  masts  of  the  vessels  at  anchor  in  the  bay  of  Val- 
paraiso, although  no  less  than  twenty-six  geographical  miles 
distant,  could  be  distinguished  clearly  as  little  black  streaks.  A 
ship  doubling  the  point  under  sail,  appeared  as  a  bright  white 
speck.  Anson  expresses  much  surprise,  in  his  voyage,  at  the 
distance  at  which  his  vessels  were  discovered  from  the  coast ;  but 
he  did  not  sufficiently  allow  for  the  height  of  the  land,  and  the 
great  transparency  of  the  air. 

The  setting  of  the  sun  was  glorious  ;  the  valleys  being  black, 


1834.]  THE   BELL   OF   QUILLOTA.  257 

whilst  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Andes  yet  retained  a  ruby  tint. 
When  it  was  dark,  we  made  a  fire  beneath  a  little  arbour  of 
bamboos,  fried  our  charqui  (or  dried  slips  of  beef),  took  our 
mate,  and  were  quite  comfortable.  There  is  an  inexpressible 
charm  in  thus  living  in  the  open  air.  The  evening  was  calm 
and  still;  —  the  shrill  noise  of  the  mountain  bizcacha,  and  the 
faint  cry  of  a  goatsucker,  were  occasionally  to  be  heard.  Besides 
these,  fe'v  birds,  or  even  insects,  frequent  these  dry,  parched 
mountains. 

August  17M.— In  the  morning  we  climbed  up  the  rough  mass 
of  greenstone  which  crowns  the  summit.  This  rock,  as  fre- 
quently happens,  was  much  shattered  and  broken  into  huge 
angular  fragments.  I  observed,  however,  one  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance, namely,  that  many  of  the  surfaces  presented  every 
degree  of  freuhness— some  appearing  as  if  broken  the  day  before, 
whilst  on  others  lichens  had  either  just  become,  or  had  long 
grown,  attached.  I  so  fully  believed  that  this  was  owing  to  the 
frequent  earthquakes,  that  I  felt  inclined  to  hurry  from  below 
each  loose  pile.  As  one  might  very  easily  be  deceived  in  a 
fact  of  this  kind,  I  doubted  its  accuracy,  until  ascending  Mount 
Wellington,  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  where  earthquakes  do  not 
occur ;  and  there  I  saw  the  summit  of  the  mountain  similarly 
composed  and  similarly  shattered,  but  all  the  blocks  appeared 
as  if  they  had  been  hurled  into  their  present  position  thousands 
of  years  ago. 

We  spent  the  day  on  the  summit,  and  I  never  enjoyed  one 
more  thoroughly.  Chile,  bounded  by  the  Andes  and  the  Pa- 
cific, was  seen  as  in  a  map.  The  pleasure  from  the  scenery,  in 
itself  beautiful,  was  heightened  by  the  many  reflections  which 
arose  from  the  mere  view  of  the  Campana  range  with  its  lesser 
parallel  ones,  and  of  the  broad  valley  of  Quillota  directly  inter- 
secting them.  Who  can  avoid  wondering  at  the  force  which  has 
upheaved  these  mountains,  and  even  more  so  at  the  countless 
ages  which  it  must  have  required,  to  have  broken  through,  re- 
moved, and  levelled  whole  masses  of  them  ?  It  is  well  in  this 
case,  to  call  to  mind  the  vast  shingle  and  sedimentary  beds  of 
Patagonia,  which,  if  heaped  on  the  Cordillera,  would  increase 
its  height  by  so  many  thousand  fe«t.  When  in  that  country,  I 
woncmrert  how  any  mountain-chain  could  have  supplied  suet 


258  CEXTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

masses,  and  not  have  been  utterly  obliterated.  We  must  not  now 
reverse  the  wonder,  and  doubt  whether  all-powerful  time  can 
grind  down  mountains — even  the  gigantic  Cordillera — into  gravel 
and  mud. 

The  appearance  of  the  Andes  was  different  from  that  which  I 
had  expected.  The  lower  line  of  the  snow  was  of  course  hori- 
zontal, and  to  this  line  the  even  summits  of  the  range  seemed 
quite  parallel.  Only  at  long  intervals,  a  group  of  points  or  a 
single  cone,  showed  where  a  volcano  had  existed,  or  does  now 
exist.  Hence  the  range  resembled  a  great  solid  wall,  surmounted 
here  and  there  by  a  tower,  and  making  a  most  perfect  barrier  to 
the  country. 

Almost  every  part  of  the  hill  had  been  drilled  by  attempts  to 
open  gold-mines:  the  rage  for  mining  has  left  scarcely  a  spot  in 
Chile  unexamined.  I  spent  the  evening  as  before,  talking  round 
the  fire  with  my  two  companions.  The  Guasos  of  Chile,  who 
correspond  to  the  Gauchos  of  the  Pampas,  are,  however,  a  very 
different  set  of  beings.  Chile  is  the  more  civilized  of  the  two 
countries,  and  the  inhabitants,  in  consequence,  have  lost  much 
individual  character.  Gradations  in  rank  are  much  more 
strongly  marked :  the  Guaso  does  not  by  any  means  consider 
every  man  his  equal ;  and  I  was  quite  surprised  to  find  that  my 
companions  did  not  like  to  eat  at  the  same  time  with  myself. 
This  feeling  of  inequality  is  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  ex- 
istence of  an  aristocracy  of  wealth.  It  is  said  that  some  few  of 
the  greater  landowners  possess  from  five  to  ten  thousand  pounds 
sterling  per  annum :  an  inequality  of  riches  which  I  believe  is 
not  met  with,  in  any  of  the  cattle-breeding  countries  eastward  of 
the  Andes.  A  traveller  does  not  here  meet  that  unbounded 
hospitality  which  refuses  all  payment,  but  yet  is  so  kindly  offered 
that  no  scruples  can  be  raised  in  accepting  it.  Almost  every 
house  in  Chile  will  receive  you  for  the  night,  but  a  trifle  is  ex- 
pected to  be  given  in  the  morning ;  even  a  rich  man  will  accept 
two  or  three  shillings.  The  Gaucho,  although  he  may  be  a 
cut-throat,  is  a  gentleman  ;  the  Guaso  is  in  few  respects  better, 
but  at  the  earne  time  a  vulgar,  ordinary  fellow.  The  two  men, 
although  employed  much  in  the  same  manner,  are  different  in 
their  habits  and  attire  ;  and  the  peculiarities  of  each  are  universal 
in  their  respective  countries.  The  Gaucho  seems  part  01  ma 


1834.]  QUILLOTA— SAN   FELIPE.  259 

horse,  and  scorns  to  exert  himself  excepting  when  on  its  back  ; 
the  Guaso  may  be  hired  to  work  as  a  labourer  in  the  fields.  The 
former  lives  entirely  on  animal  food  ;  the  latter  almost  wholly 
on  vegetable.  We  do  not  here  see  'the  white  boots,  the  broad 
drawers,  and  scarlet  chilipa;  the  picturesque  costume  of  the 
Pampas.  Here,  common  trovvtcrs  are  protected  by  black  and 
green  worsted  leggings.  The  poncho,  however,  is  common  to 
both.  The  chief  pride  of  the  Guaso  lies  in  his  spurs ;  which 
are  absurdly  large.  I  measured  one  which  was  six  inches  in  the 
diameter  of  the  rowel,  and  the  rowel  itself  contained  upwards  of 
thirty  points.  The  stirrups  are  on  the  same  scale,  each  consist- 
ing of  a  square,  carved  block  of  wood,  hollowed  out,  yet  weigh- 
ing three  or  four  pounds.  The  Guaso  is  perhaps  more  expert 
with  the  lazo  than  the  Gaucho ;  but,  from  the  nature  of  the 
country,  he  does  not  know  the  use  of  the  bolas. 

August  18th. — We  descended  the  mountain,  and  passed  some 
beautiful  little  spots,  with  rivulets  and  fine  trees.  Having  slept 
at  the  same  hacienda  as  before,  we  rode  during  the  two  succeed- 
ing days  up  the  valley,  and  passed  through  Quillota,  which  is 
more  like  a  collection  of  nursery-gardens  than  a  town.  The 
orchards  were  beautiful,  presenting  one  mass  of  peach-blossoms. 
I  saw,  also,  in  one  or  two  places  the  date-palm ;  it  is  a  most 
stately  tree ;  and  I  should  think  a  group  of  them  in  their  native 
Asiatic  or  African  deserts  must  be  superb.  We  passed  likewise 
San  Felipe,  a  pretty  straggling  town  like  Quillota.  The  valley 
in  this  part  expands  into  one  of  those  great  bays  or  plains,  reach- 
ing to  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera,  which  have  been  mentioned  as 
forming  so  curious  a  part  of  the  scenery  of  Chile.  In  the 
evening  we  reached  the  mines  of  Jajuel,  situated  in  a  ravine 
at  the  flank  of  the  great  chain.  I  stayed  here  five  days. 
My  host,  the  superintendent  of  the  mine,  was  a  shrewd  but 
rather  ignorant  Cornish  miner.  He  had  married  a  Spanish 
woman,  and  did  not  mean  to  return  home ;  but  his  admiration 
for  the  mines  of  Cornwall  remained  unbounded.  Amongst 
many  other  questions,  he  asked  me,  "  Now  that  George  Rex  is 
dead,  how  many  more  of  the  family  of  Rexes  are  yet  alive  ?" 
This  Rex  certainly  must  be  a  relation  of  the  great  author  Finis, 
vho  wrote  all  books  ! 

These  mines  are  of  copper,  and  the  ore  is  all  shipped  to 


CENTRAL   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 


Swansea,  to  be  smelted.  Hence  the  mines  have  an  aspect  singu- 
larly quiet,  as  compared  to  those  in  England :  here  no  smoke, 
furnaces,  or  great  steam-engines,  disturb  the  solitude  of  the  sur- 
rounding mountains. 

The  Chilian  government,  or  rather  the  old  Spanish  law, 
encourages  by  every  method  the  searching  for  mines.  The 
discoverer  may  work  a  mine  on  any  ground,  by  paying  five 
shillings  ;  and  before  paying  this  he  may  try,  even  in  the  garden 
of  another  man,  for  twenty  days. 

It  is  now  well  known  that  the  Chilian  method  of  mining  is 
ihe  cheapest.  My  host  says  that  the  two  principal  improvements 
introduced  by  foreigners  have  been,  first,  reducing  by  previous 
roasting  the  copper  pyrites — which,  being  the  common  ore  in 
Cornwall,  the  English  miners  were  astounded  on  their  arrival  to 
find  thrown  away  as  useless :  secondly,  stamping  and  washing  the 
scoriae  from  the  old  furnaces — by  which  process  particles  of 
metal  are  recovered  in  abundance.  I  have  actually  seen  mules 
carrying  to  the  coast,  for  transportation  to  England,  a  cargo  of 
such  cinders.  But  the  first  case  is  much  the  most  curious.  The 
Chilian  miners  were  so  convinced  that  copper  pyrites  contained 
not  a  particle  of  copper,  that  they  laughed  at  the  Englishmen 
for  their  ignorance,  who  laughed  in  turn,  and  bought  their 
richest  veins  for  a  few  dollars.  It  is  very  odd  that,  in  a  country 
where  mining  had  been  extensively  carried  on  for  many  years, 
so  simple  a  process  as  gently  roasting  the  ore  to  expel  the  sul 
phur  previous  to  smelting  it,  had  never  been  discovered.  A  few 
improvements  have  likewise  been  introduced  in  some  of  the  simple 
machinery ;  but  even  to  the  present  day,  water  is  removed  from 
some  mines  by  men  carrying  it  up  the  shaft  in  leathern  bags  ! 

The  labouring  men  work  very  hard.  They  have  little  time 
allowed  for  their  meals,  and  during  summer  and  winter  they 
begin  when  it  is  light,  and  leave  off  at  dark.  They  are  paid  one 
pound  sterling  a  month,  and  their  food  is  given  them :  this  for 
breakfast  consists  of  sixteen  figs  and  two  small  loaves  of  bread  ; 
for  dinner,  boiled  beans  ;  for  supper,  broken  roasted  wheat  grain. 
They  scarcely  ever  taste  meat ;  as,  with  the  twelve  pounds  per 
annum,  they  have  to  clothe  themselves,  and  support  their  families. 
The  miners  who  work  in  the  mine  itself  have  twenty-five  shil- 
lings per  month,  and  are  allowed  a  little  charqui.  But  thcso 


1834.]  MOUNTAIN  SCENERY.  261 

men  come  down  from  their  bleak  habitations  only  once  in  every 
fortnight  or  three  weeks. 

During  my  stay  here  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  scrambling  about 
these  huge  mountains.  The  geology,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, was  very  interesting.  The  shattered  and  baked  rocks, 
traversed  by  innumerable  dykes  of  greenstone,  showed  what  com- 
motions had  formerly  taken  place.  The  scenery  was  much  the 
same  as  that  near  the  Bell  of  Quillota— dry  barren  mountains, 
dotted  at  intervals  by  bushes  with  a  scanty  foliage.  The  cactuses, 
or  rather  opuntias,  were  here  very  numerous.  I  measured  one 
of  a  spherical  figure,  which,  including  the  spines,  was  six  feet 
and  four  inches  in  circumference.  The  height  of  the  common 
cylindrical,  branching  kind,  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet,  and  the 
girth  (with  spines)  of  the  branches  between  three  and  four  feet. 

A  heavy  fall  of  snow  on  the  mountains  prevented  me,  during 
the  last  two  days,  from  making  some  interesting  excursions.  I 
attempted  to  reach  a  lake  which  the  inhabitants,  from  some  un- 
accountable reason,  believe  to  be  an  arm  of  the  sea.  During  a 
very  dry  season,  it  was  proposed  to  attempt  cutting  a  channel 
from  it  for  the  sake  of  the  water,  but  the  padre,  after  a  consulta- 
tion, declared  it  was  too  dangerous,  as  all  Chile  would  be 
inundated,  if,  as  generally  supposed,  the  lake  was  connected 
with  the  Pacific.  "We  ascended  to  a  great  height,  but  becoming 
involved  in  the  snow-drifts  failed  in  reaching  this  wonderful  lake, 
and  had  some  difficulty  in  returning.  I  thought  we  should  have 
lost  our  horses ;  for  there  was  no  means  of  guessing  how  deep  the 
drifts  were,  and  the  animals,  when  led,  could  only  move  by  jump- 
ing. The  black  sky  showed  that  a  fresh  snow-storm  was  gather- 
ing, and  we  therefore  were  not  a  little  glad  when  we  escaped. 
By  the  time  we  reached  the  base  the  storm  commenced,  and  it  was 
lucky  for  us  that  this  did  not  happen  three  hours  earlier  in  the  day. 

August  26th. — We  left  Jajuel  and  again  crossed  the  basin  of 
S.  Felipe.  The  day  was  truly  Chilian  :  glaringly  bright,  and  the 
atmosphere  quite  clear.  The  thick  and  uniform  covering  of 
newly-fallen  snow  rendered  the  view  of  the  volcano  of  Aconcagua 
and  the  main  chain  quite  glorious.  We  were  now  on  the  road 
to  Santiago,  the  capital  of  Chile.  We  crossed  the  Cerro  del 
Talguen,  and  slept  at  a  little  rancho.  The  host,  talking  about 
U:o  state  of  Chile  as  compared  to  other  countries,  was  very 


CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xii. 


humble :  "  Some  see  with  two  eyes  and  some  with  one,  but  for 
my  part  I  do  not  think  that  Chile  sees  with  any." 

August  21th. — After  crossing  many  low  hills  we  descended 
into  the  small  land-locked  plain  of  Guitron.  In  the  basins,  such 
as  this  one,  which  are  elevated  from  one  thousand  to  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea,  two  species  of  acacia,  which  are  stunted 
in  their  forms,  and  stand  wide  apart  from  each  other,  grow  in 
large  numbers.  These  trees  are  never  found  near  the  sea-coast ; 
and  this  gives  another  characteristic  feature  to  the  scenery  of 
these  basia-.  We  crossed  a  low  ridge  which  separates  Guitron 
from  the  great  plain  on  which  Santiago  stands.  The  view  was 
here  pre-eminently  striking :  the  dead  level  surface,  covered  in 
parts  by  woods  of  acacia,  and  with  the  city  in  the  distance, 
abutting  horizontally  against  the  base  of  the  Andes,  whose  snowy 
peaks  were  bright  with  the  evening  sun.  At  the  first  glance  of 
this  view,  it  was  quite  evident  that  the  plain  represented  the 
extent  of  a  former  inland  sea.  As  soon  as  we  gained  the  level 
road  we  pushed  our  horses  into  a  gallop,  and  reached  the  city 
before  it  was  dark. 

I  stayed  a  week  in  Santiago  and  enjoyed  myself  very  much.  In 
the  morning  I  rode  to  various  places  on  the  plain,  and  in  the 
evening  dined  with  several  of  the  English  merchants,  whose  hos- 
pitality at  this  place  is  well  known.  A  never-failing  source  of 
pleasure  was  to  ascend  the  little  hillock  of  rock  (St.  Lucia) 
which  projects  in  the  middle  of  the  city.  The  scenery  certainly 
is  most  striking,  and,  as  I  have  said,  very  peculiar.  I  am  in- 
formed that  this  same  character  is  common  to  the  cities  on  the 
great  Mexican  platform.  Of  the  town  I  have  nothing  to  say  in 
detail :  it  is  not  so  fine  or  so  large  as  Buenos  Ayres,  but  is  built 
after  the  same  model.  I  arrived  here  by  a  circuit  to  the  north  ; 
so  I  resolved  to  return  to  Valparaiso  by  a  rather  longer  excur- 
sion to  the  south  of  the  direct  road. 

September  5th. — By  the  middle  of  the  day  we  arrived  at  one 
of  the  suspension  bridges  made  of  hide,  which  crosses  theMaypu, 
a  large  turbulent  river  a  few  leagues  southward  of  Santiago. 
These  bridges  are  very  poor  affairs.  The  road,  following  the 
curvature  of  the  suspending  ropes,  is  made  of  bundles  of  sticks 
placed  close  together.  It  was  full  of  holes,  and  oscillated  rather 
fearfully,  even  with  the  weight  of  a  man  leading  his  horse.  Iu 


1834.]  HOT   SPRINGS   OF   CATJQUENES.  268 

the  evening  we  reached  a  comfortable  farm-house,  where  there 
were  several  very  pretty  senoritas.  They  were  much  horrified 
at  my  having  entered  one  of  their  churches  out  of  mere  curiosity. 
They  asked  me,  "  Why  do  you  not  become  a  Christian — for  our 
religion  is  certain  ?  "  I  assured  them  I  was  a  sort  of  Christian  ; 
but  they  would  not  hear  of  it — appealing  to  my  own  words, 
' "  Do  not  your  padres,  your  very  bishops,  marry  ?"  The  absur- 
dity of  a  bishop  having  a  wife  particularly  struck  them :  they 
scarcely  knew  whether  to  be  most  amused  or  horror-struck  at 
such  an  enormity. 

6th. — We  proceeded  due  south,  and  slept  at  Eancagua.  The 
road  passed  over  the  level  but  narrow  plain,  bounded  on  one  side 
by  lofty  hills,  and  on  the  other  by  the  Cordillera.  The  next  day 
we  turned  up  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Cachapual,  in  which  the  hot- 
baths  of  Cauquenes,  long  celebrated  for  their  medicinal  pro- 
perties, are  situated.  The  suspension  bridges,  in  the  less  fre- 
quented parts,  are  generally  taken  down  during  the  winter  when 
the  rivers  are  low.  Such  was  the  case  in  this  valley,  and  we 
were  therefore  obliged  to  cross  the  stream  on  horseback.  This  is 
rather  disagreeable,  for  the  foaming  water,  though  not  deep, 
rushes  so  quickly  over  the  bed  of  large  rounded  stones,  that  one's 
head  becomes  quite  confused,  and  it  is  difficult  even  to  perceive 
whether  the  horse  is  moving  onward  or  standing  still.  In  sum- 
mer, when  the  snow  melts,  the  torrents  are  quite  impassable ; 
their  strength  and  fury  is  then  extremely  great,  as  might  be 
plainly  seen  by  the  marks  which  they  had  left.  We  reached  the 
baths  in  the  evening,  and  stayed  there  five  days,  being  confined 
the  two  last  by  heavy  rain.  The  buildings  consist  of  a  square 
of  miserable  little  hovels,  each  with  a  single  table  and  bench. 
They  are  situated  in  a  narrow  deep  valley  just  without  the 
central  Cordillera.  It  is  a  quiet,  solitary  spot,  with  a  good  deal 
of  wild  beauty. 

The  mineral  springs  of  Cauquenes  burst  forth  on  a  line  of 
dislocation,  crossing  a  mass  of  stratified  rock,  the  whole  of  which 
betrays  the  action  of  heat.  A  considerable  quantity  of  gas  is 
continually  escaping  from  the  same  orifices  with  the  water. 
Though  the  springs  are  only  a  few  yards  apart,  they  have  very 
different  temperatures ;  and  this  appears  to  be  the  result  of  an 
unequal  mixture  of  cold  water :  for  those  with  the  lowest  tern- 
18 


CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 


perature  have  scarcely  any  mineral  taste.  After  the  great  earth- 
quake of  1822  the  springs  ceased,  and  the  water  did  not  return 
for  nearly  a  year.  They  were  also  much  affected  by  the  earth- 
quake of  1 835 ;  the  temperature  being  suddenly  changed  from 
118°  to  92°.*  It  seems  probable  that  mineral  waters  rising  deep 
from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  would  always  be  more  deranged  by 
subterranean  disturbances  than  those  nearer  the  surface.  The 
man  who  had  charge  of  the  baths,  assured  me  that  in  summer  the 
water  is  hotter  and  more  plentiful  than  in  winter.  The  former 
circumstance  I  should  have  expected,  from  the  less  mixture, 
during  the  dry  season,  of  cold  water ;  but  the  latter  statement 
appears  very  strange  and  contradictory.  The  periodical  increase 
during  the  summer,  when  rain  never  falls,  can,  I  think,  only  be 
accounted  for  by  the  melting  of  the  snow  :  yet  the  mountains 
which  are  covered  by  snow  during  that  season,  are  three  or  four 
leagues  distant  from  the  springs  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the 
accuracy  of  my  informer,  who,  having  lived  on  the  spot  for 
several  years,  ought  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  circumstance, 
— which,  if  true,  certainly  is  very  curious  :  for,  we  must  suppose 
that,  the  snow-water,  being  conducted  through  porous  strata  to 
the  regions  of  heat,  is  again  thrown  up  to  the  surface  by  the  line 
of  dislocated  and  injected  rocks  at  Cauquenes  ;  and  the  regularity 
of  the  phenomenon  would  seem  to  indicate,  that  in  this  district 
heated  rock  occurred  at  a  depth  not  very  great. 

Onf  day  I  rode  up  the  valley  to  the  farthest  inhabited  spot. 
Shortly  above  that  point,  the  Cachapual  divides  into  two  deep 
tremendous  ravines,  which  penetrate  directly  into  the  great  range. 
I  scrambled  up  a  peaked  mountain,  probably  more  than  six  thou- 
sand feet  high.  Here,  as  indeed  everywhere  else,  scenes  of  the 
Highest  interest  presented  themselves.  It  was  by  one  of  these 
ravines,  that  Pincheira  entered  Chile  and  ravaged  the  neighbour- 
ing country.  This  is  the  same  man  whose  attack  on  an  estancia 
at  the  Rio  Negro  I  have  described.  He  was  a  renegade  half- 
cast  Spaniard,  who  collected  a  great  body  of  Indians  together 
and  established  himself  by  a  stream  in  the  Pampas,  which  place 
none  of  the  forces  sent  after  him  could  ever  discover.  From  this 
point  he  used  to  sally  forth,  and  crossing  the  Cordillera  by  passes 
hitherto  unattempted,  he  ravaged  the  farm-houses  and  drove  the 
*  Caldcleugh,  in  Philosoph.  Transact,  for  1836, 


1834.]  FLOATING   ISLAXDS.  265 

cattle  to  his  secret  rendezvous.  Pincheira  was  a  capital  horse- 
man, and  he  made  all  around  him  equally  good,  for  he  invariably 
shot  any  one  who  hesitated  to  follow  him.  It  was  against  this 
man,  and  other  wandering  Indian  tribes,  that  Rosas  waged  the 
war  of  extermination. 

September  13th. — We  left  the  baths  of  Cauquenes,  and  rejoin- 
ing the  main  road  slept  at  the  Rio  Claro.  From  this  place  we 
rode  to  the  town  of  S.  Fernando.  Before  arriving  there,  the  last 
land-locked  basin  had  expanded  into  a  great  plain,  which  ex- 
tended so  far  to  the  south,  that  the  snowy  summits  of  the  more 
distant  Andes  were  seen  as  if  above  the  horizon  of  the  sea.  S. 
Fernando  is  forty  leagues  from  Santiago  ;  and  it  was  my  farthest 
point  southward ;  for  we  here  turned  at  right  angles  towards  the 
coast.  We  slept  at  the  gold-mines  of  Yaquil,  which  are  worked 
by  Mr.  Nixon,  an  American  gentleman,  to  whose  kindness  I  was 
much  indebted  during  the  four  days  I  stayed  at  his  house.  The 
next  morning  we  rode  to  the  mines,  which  are  situated  at  the 
distance  of  some  leagues,  near  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill.  On 
the  way  we  had  a  glimpse  of  the  lake  Tagua-tagua,  celebrated 
for  its  floating  islands,  which  have  been  described  by  M.  Gay.* 
They  are  composed  of  the  stalks  of  various  dead  plants  inter- 
twined together,  and  on  the  surface  of  which  other  living  ones 
take  root.  Their  form  is  generally  circular,  and  their  thickness 
from  four  to  six  feet,  of  which  the  greater  part  is  immersed  in 
the  water.  As  the  wind  blows,  they  pass  from  one  side  of  the  lake 
to  the  other,  and  often  carry  cattle  and  horses  as  passengers. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  mine,  I  was  struck  by  the  pale  ap- 
pearance of  many  of  the  men,  and  inquired  from  Mr.  Nixon 
respecting  their  condition.  The  mine  is  450  feet  deep,  and  each 
man  brings  up  about  200  pounds  weight  of  stone.  With  this 
load  they  have  to  climb  up  the  alternate  notches  cut  in  the 
trunks  of  trees,  placed  in  a  zigzag  line  up  the  shaft.  Even  beard- 
iess  young  men,  eighteen  and  twenty  years  old,  with  little  mus- 
cular development  of  their  bodies  (they  are  quite  naked  excepting 
drawers)  ascend  with  this  great  load  from  nearly  the  same  depth. 
A  strong  man,  who  is  not  accustomed  to  this  labour,  perspires 

*  Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,  March,  1833.  M.  Gay,  a  zealous  and 
able  naturalist,  was  then  occupied  in  studying  every  branch  of  natural  Listor) 
throughout  the  kingdom  of  Chile. 


266  CENTRAL   CHILE.  [CHAP.  in. 

most  profusely,  with  merely  carrying  up  his  own  body.  With 
this  very  severe  labour,  they  live  entirely  on  boiled  beans  and 
bread.  They  would  prefer  having  bread  alone ;  but  their 
masters,  finding  that  they  cannot  work  so  hard  upon  this,  treat 
them  like  horses,  and  make  them  eat  the  beans.  Their  pay  is 
here  rather  more  than  at  the  mines  of  Jajuel,  being  from  24  to 
28  shillings  per  month.  They  leave  the  mine  only  once  in  three 
weeks ;  when  they  stay  with  their  families  for  two  days.  One  of 
the  rules  in  this  mine  sounds  very  harsh,  but  answers  pretty  well 
for  the  master.  The  only  method  of  stealing  gold  is  to  secrete 
pieces  of  the  ore,  and  take  them  out  as  occasion  may  offer. 
Whenever  the  major-domo  finds  a  lump  thus  hidden,  its  full 
value  is  stopped  out  of  the  wages  of  all  the  men ;  who  thus, 
without  they  all  combine,  are  obliged  to  keep  watch  over  each 
other. 

When  the  ore  is  brought  to  the  mill,  it  is  ground  into  an  im- 
palpable powder ;  the  process  of  washing  removes  all  the  lighter 
particles,  and  amalgamation  finally  secures  the  gold-dust.  The 
washing,  when  described,  sounds  a  very  simple  process ;  but  it  is 
beautiful  to  see  how  the  exact  adaptation  of  the  current  of  water 
to  the  specific  gravity  of  the  gold,  so  easily  separates  the  pow- 
dered matrix  from  the  metal.  The  mud  which  passes  from  the 
mills  is  collected  into  pools,  where  it  subsides,  and  every  now 
and  then  is  cleared  out,  and  thrown  into  a  common  heap.  A 
great  deal  of  chemical  action  then  commences,  salts  of  various 
kinds  effloresce  on  the  surface,  and  the  mass  becomes  hard.  After 
having  been  left  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  rewashed,  it  yields 
gold ;  and  this  process  may  be  repeated  even  six  or  sevon  times  ; 
but  the  gold  each  time  becomes  less  in  quantity,  and  the  inter- 
vals required  (as  the  inhabitants  say,  to  generate  the  metal)  are 
longer.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  chemical  action,  already 
mentioned,  each  time  liberates  fresh  gold  from  some  combination. 
The  discovery  of  a  method  to  effect  this  before  the  first  grinding, 
would  without  doubt  raise  the  value  of  gold-ores  many  fold.  It 
is  curious  to  find  how  the  minute  particles  of  gold,  being  scat- 
tered about  and  not  corroding,  at  last  accumulate  in  some  quan- 
tity. A  short  time  since  a  few  miners,  being  out  of  work,  ob- 
tained permission  to  scrape  the  ground  round  the  house  and  mill : 
they  washed  the  earth  thus  got  together,  and  so  procured  thirty 


1834.]  INDIAN   RELIC.  267 

dollars'  worth  of  gold.  This  is  an  exact  counterpart  of  what  takes 
place  in  nature.  Mountains  suffer  degradation  and  wear  away, 
and  with  them  the  metallic  veins  which  they  contain.  The 
hardest  rock  is  worn  into  impalpable  mud,  the  ordinary  metals 
oxidate,  and  both  are  removed ;  but  gold,  platina,  and  a  few 
others  are  nearly  indestructible,  and  from  their  weight,  sinking 
to  the  bottom,  are  left  behind.  After  whole  mountains  have 
passed  through  this  grinding-mill,  and  have  been  washed  by  the 
hand  of  nature,  the  residue  becomes  metalliferous,  and  man  finds 
it  worth  his  while  to  complete  the  task  of  separation. 

Bad  as  the  above  treatment  of  the  miners  appears,  it  is  gladly 
accepted  of  by  them ;  for  the  condition  of  the  labouring  agri- 
culturists is  much  worse.  Their  wages  are  lower,  and  they  live 
almost  exclusively  on  beans.  This  poverty  must  be  chiefty 
owing  to  the  feudal-like  system  on  which  the  land  is  tilled : 
the  landowner  gives  a  small  plot  of  ground  to  the  labourer,  for 
building  on  and  cultivating,  and  in  return  has  his  services  (or 
those  of  a  proxy)  for  every  day  of  his  life,  without  any  wages. 
Until  a  father  has  a  grown-up  son,  who  can  by  his  labour  pay 
the  rent,  there  is  no  one,  except  on  occasional  days,  to  take  care 
of  his  own  patch  of  ground.  Hence  extreme  poverty  is  very 
common  among  the  labouring  classes  in  this  country. 

There  are  some  old  Indian  ruins  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  I 
was  shown  one  of  the  perforated  stones,  which  Molina  mentions 
as  being  found  in  many  places  in  considerable  numbers.  They 
are  of  a  circular  flattened  form,  from  five  to  six  inches  in  dia- 
meter, with  a  hole  passing  quite  through  the  centre.  It  has 
generally  been  supposed  that  they  were  used  as  heads  to  clubs, 
although  their  form  does  not  appear  at  all  well  adapted  for.  that 
purpose.  Burchell  *  states  that  some  of  the  tribes  in  Southern 
Africa  dig  up  roots,  by  the  aid  of  a  stick  pointed  at  one  end,  the 
force  and  weight  of  which  is  increased  by  a  round  stone  with  a 
hole  in  it,  into  which  the  other  end  is  firmly  wedged.  It  appears 
probable,  that  the  Indians  of  Chile  formerly  used  some  such  rude 
agricultural  instrument. 

One  day,  a  German  collector  in  natural  history,  of  the  name 
of  Renous,  called,  and  nearly  at  the  same  time  an  old  Spanish 
lawyer.  I  was  amused  at  being  told  the  conversation  which  tock 
*  Burchell's  Travels,  vol.  ii.  p.  45. 


CENTRAL   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 


place  between  them.  Renous  speaks  Spanish  so  well,  that  the 
old  lawyer  mistook  him  for  a  Chilian.  Renous,  alluding  to  me, 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  the  King  of  England  sending  out 
a  collector  to  their  country,  to  pick  up  lizards  and  beetles,  and  to 
break  stones  ?  The  old  gentleman  thought  seriously  for  some 
time,  and  then  said,  "  It  is  not  well, — hay  un  gato  encerrado 
aqui  (there  is  a  cat  shut  up  here).  No  man  is  so  rich  as  to  send 
out  people  to  pick  up  such  rubbish.  I  do  not  like  it :  if  one  of 
us  were  to  go  and  do  such  things  in  England,  do  not  you  think 
the  King  of  England  would  very  soon  send  us  out  of  his  coun- 
try ?"  And  this  old  gentleman,  from  his  profession,  belongs  to 
the  better  informed  and  more  intelligent  classes !  Renous  him- 
self, two  or  three  years  before,  left  in  a  house  at  S.  Fernando 
some  caterpillars,  under  charge  of  a  girl  to  feed,  that  they  might 
turn  into  butterflies.  This  was  rumoured  through  the  town,  and 
at  last  the  Padres  and  Governor  consulted  together,  and  agreed 
it  must  be  some  heresy.  Accordingly,  when  Renous  returned, 
he  was  arrested. 

September  19th.— We  left  Yaquil,  and  followed  the  flat  valley, 
formed  like  that  of  Quillota,  in  which  the  Rio  Tinderidica  flows. 
Even  at  these  few  miles  south  of  Santiago  the  climate  is  much 
damper ;  in  consequence  there  were  fine  tracts  of  pasturage, 
which  were  not  irrigated.  (20th.)  "We  followed  this  valley  till  it 
expanded  into  a  great  plain,  which  reaches  from  the  sea  to  the 
mountains  west  of  Rancagua.  We  shortly  lost  all  trees  and  even 
bushes ;  so  that  the  inhabitants  are  nearly  as  badly  off  for  firewood 
as  those  in  the  Pampas.  Never  having  heard  of  these  plains,  I 
was  much  surprised  at  meeting  with  such  scenery  in  Chile.  The 
plains  belong  to  more  than  one  series  of  different  elevations,  and 
they  are  traversed  by  broad  flat-bottomed  valleys ;  both  of  which 
circumstances,  as  in  Patagonia,  bespeak  the  action  of  the  sea  on 
gently  rising  land.  In  the  steep  cliffs  bordering  these  valleys, 
there  are  some  large  caves,  which  no  doubt  were  originally 
formed  by  the  waves :  one  of  these  is  celebrated  under  the  name 
of  Cueva  del  Obispo  ;  having  formerly  been  consecrated.  Dur- 
ing the  day  I  felt  very  unwell,  and  from  that  time  till  the  end  oi 
October  did  not  recover. 

September  22nd. — We  continued  to  pass  over  green  plains 
without  a  tree.  The  next  day  we  arrived  at  a  house  near  Nave- 


1834.]  THE   PUMA. 


dad,  on  the  sea-coast,  where  a  rich  Haciendero  gave  us  lodgings. 
I  stayed  here  the  two  ensuing  days,  and  although  very  unwell, 
managed  to  collect  from  the  tertiary  formation  some  marine 
shells. 

24th. — Our  course  was  now  directed  towards  Valparaiso, 
which  with  great  difficulty  I  reached  on  the  27th,  and  was  there 
confined  to  my  bed  till  the  end  of  October.  During  this  time  I 
was  an  inmate  in  Mr.  Corfield's  house,  whose  kindness  to  me  I  do 
not  know  how  to  express. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  observations  on  some  of  the  animals  and 
birds  of  Chile.  The  Puma,  or  South  American  Lion,  is  not 
uncommon.  This  animal  has  a  wide  geographical  range  ;  being 
found  from  the  equatorial  forests,  throughout  the  deserts  of  Pata- 
gonia, as  far  south  as  the  damp  and  cold  latitudes  (53°  to  54°) 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  I  have  seen  its  footsteps  in  the  Cordil- 
lera of  central  Chile,  at  an  elevation  of  at  least  10,000  feet. 
In  La  Plata  the  puma  preys  chiefly  on  deer,  ostriches,  bizcacha, 
and  other  small  quadrupeds ;  it  there  seldom  attacks  cattle  or 
horses,  and  most  rarely  man.  In  Chile,  however,  it  destroys 
many  young  horses  and  cattle,  owing  probably  to  the  scarcity  of 
other  quadrupeds :  I  heard,  likewise,  of  two  men  and  a  woman 
who  had  been  thus  killed.  It  is  asserted  that  the  puma  always 
kills  its  prey  by  springing  on  the  shoulders,  and  then  drawing 
back  the  head  with  one  of  its  paws,  until  the  vertebrae  break  : 
I  have  seen  in  Patagonia,  the  skeletons  of  guanacos,  with  their 
necks  thus  dislocated. 

The  puma,  after  eating  its  fill,  covers  the  carcass  with  many 
large  bushes,  and  lies  down  to  watch  it.  This  habit  is  often  the 
cause  of  its  being  discovered ;  for  the  condors  wheeling  in  the 
air,  every  now  and  then  descend  to  partake  of  the  feast,  and 
being  angrily  driven  away,  rise  all  together  on  the  wing.  The 
Chileno  Guaso  then  knows  there  is  a  lion  watching  his  prey — 
the  word  is  given — and  men  and  dogs  hurry  to  the  chase.  Sir 
F.  Head  says  that  a  Gaucho  in  the  Pampas,  upon  merely  seeing 
some  condors  wheeling  in  the  air,  cried  "  A  lion !"  I  could 
never  myself  meet  with  any  one  who  pretended  to  such  prwere 
of  discrimination.  It  is  asserted,  that  if  a  puma  has  once  been 
betrayed  by  thus  watching  the  carcass,  and  has  then  been  hunted/ 


270  CENTRAL   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

it  never  resumes  this  habit ;  but  that  having  gorged  itself,  it  waii- 
ders  far  away.  The  puma  is  easily  killed.  In  an  open  country, 
it  is  first  entangled  with  the  bolas,  then  lazoed,  and  dragged 
along  the  ground  till  rendered  insensible.  At  Tandeel  (south 
of  the  Plata)  I  was  told  that  within  three  months  one  hundred 
were  thus  destroyed.  In  Chile  they  are  generally  driven  up 
bushes  or  trees,  and  are  then  either  shot,  or  baited  to  death  by 
dogs.  The  dogs  employed  in  this  chase  belong  to  a  particular 
breed,  called  Leoneros  :  they  are  weak,  slight  animals,  like  long- 
legged  terriers,  but  are  born  with  a  particular  instinct  for  this 
sport.  The  puma  is  described  as  being  very  crafty  :  when  pur- 
sued, it  often  returns  on  its  former  track,  and  then  suddenly 
making  a  spring  on  one  side,  waits  there  till  the  dogs  have 
passed  by.  It  is  a  very  silent  animal,  uttering  no  cry  even  when 
wounded,  and  only  rarely  during  the  breeding  season. 

Of  birds,  two  species  of  the  genus  Pteroptochos  (megapodius 
and  albicollis  of  Kittlitz)  are  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous. 
The  former,  called  by  the  Chilenos  "  el  Turco,"  is  as  large  as  a 
fieldfare,  to  which  bird  it  has  some  alliance ;  but  its  legs  are 
much  longer,  tail  shorter,  and  beak  stronger:  its  colour  is  a 
reddish  brown.  The  Turco  is  not  uncommon.  It  lives  on  the 
ground,  sheltered  among  the  thickets  which  are  scattered  over 
the  dry  and  sterile  hills.  With  its  tail  erect,  and  stilt-like  legs, 
it  may  be  seen  every  now  and  then  popping  from  one  bush  to 
another  with  uncommon  quickness.  It  really  requires  little  ima- 
gination to  believe  that  the  bird  is  ashamed  of  itself,  and  is  aware 
of  its  most  ridiculous  figure.  On  first  seeing  it,  one  is  tempted 
to  exclaim,  '  A  vilely  stuffed  specimen  has  escaped  from  some 
museum,  and  has  come  to  life  again !'  It  cannot  be  made  to 
take  flight  without  the  greatest  trouble,  nor  does  it  run,  but  only 
hops.  The  various  loud  cries  which  it  utters  when  concealed 
amongst  the  bushes,  are  as  strange  as  its  appearance.  It  is  said 
to  build  its  nest  in  a  deep  hole  beneath  the  ground.  I  dis- 
sected several  specimens :  the  gizzard,  which  was  very  muscu- 
lar, contained  beetles,  vegetable  fibres,  and  pebbles.  From  this 
character,  from  the  length  of  its  legs,  scratching  feet,  membran- 
ous covering  to  the  nostrils,  short  and  arched  wings,  this  bird 
seems  in  a  certain  degree  to  connect  the  thrushes  with  the  galli- 
naceous order. 


1834.]  HUMMING-BIRDS.  271 

The  second  species  (or  P.  albicollis)  is  allied  to  the  first  in  its 
general  form.  It  is  called  Tapacolo,  or  "  cover  your  poste- 
rior;" and  well  does  the  shameless  little  bird  deserve  its  name; 
for  it  carries  its  tail  more  than  erect,  that  is,  inclined  backwards 
towards  its  head.  It  is  very  common,  and  frequents  the  bottoms 
of  hedge-rows,  and  the  bushes  scattered  over  the  barren  hills, 
where  scarcely  another  bird  can  exist.  In  its  general  manner  of 
feeding,  of  quickly  hopping  out  of  the  thickets  and  back  again, 
in  its  desire  of  concealment,  unwillingness  to  take  flight,  and  ni- 
dification,  it  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  Turco ;  but  its  ap- 
pearance is  not  quite  so  ridiculous.  The  Tapacolo  is  very  crafty : 
when  frightened  by  any  person,  it  will  remain  motionless  at  the 
bottom  of  a  bush,  and  will  then,  after  a  little  while,  try  with 
much  address  to  crawl  away  on  the  opposite  side.  It  is  also  an 
active  bird,  and  continually  making  a  noise:  these  noises  are 
various  and  strangely  odd ;  some  are  like  the  cooing  of  doves, 
others  like  the  bubbling  of  water,  and  many  defy  all  similes. 
The  country  people  say  it  changes  its  cry  five  times  in  the  year 
— according  to  some  change  of  season,  I  suppose.* 

Two  species  of  humming-birds  are  common  ;  Trochilus  forfi- 
catus  is  found  over  a  space  of  2500  miles  on  the  west  coast,  from 
the  hot  dry  country  of  Lima,  to  the  forests  of  Tierra  del  Fuego 
— where  it  may  be  seen  flitting  about  in  snow-storms.  In  the 
wooded  island  of  Chiloe,  which  has  an  extremely  humid  climate, 
this  little  bird,  skipping  from  side  to  side  amidst  the  dripping 
foliage,  is  perhaps  more  abundant  than  almost  any  other  kind.  I 
opened  the  stomachs  <»f  several  specimens,  shot  in  different  parts 
of  the  continent,  and  in  all,  remains  of  insects  were  as  numerous 
as  in  the  stomach  of  a  creeper.  When  this  species  migrates  in 
the  summer  southward,  it  is  replaced  by  the  arrival  of  another 
species  coming  from  the  north.  This  second  kind  (Trochilus 
gigas)  is  a  very  large  bird  for  the  delicate  family  to  which  it  be- 
longs :  when  on  the  wing  its  appearance  is  singular.  Like  others 
of  the  genus,  it  moves  from  place  to  place  with  a  rapidity  which 

*  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  Molina,  though  describing  in  detail  all  the 
birds  and  animals  of  Chile,  never  once  mentions  this  genus,  the  species  oi 
•which  are  so  common,  and  so  remarkable  in  their  habits.  Was  he  at  a  loss 
how  to  classify  them,  and  did  he  consequently  think  that  silence  was  _  the 
more  prudent  course  ?  It  is  one  more  instance  of  the  frequency  of  omissions 
by  authors,  on  those  very  subjects  where  it  might  have  been  least  expected. 


272  CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

may  be  compared  to  that  of  Syrphus  amongst  flies,  and  Sphinx 
among  moths ;  but  whilst  hovering  over  a  flower,  it  flaps  its 
wings  with  a  very  slow  and  powerful  movement,  totally  different 
from  that  vibratory  one  common  to  most  of  the  species,  which 
produces  the  humming  noise.  I  never  saw  any  other  bird,  where 
the  force  of  its  wings  appeared  (as  in  a  butterfly)  so  powerful  in 
proportion  to  the  weight  of  its  body.  When  hovering  by  a 
flower,  its  tail  is  constantly  expanded  and  shut  like  a  fan, 
the  body  being  kept  in  a  nearly  vertical  position.  This  action 
appears  to  steady  and  support  the  bird,  between  the  slow 
movements  of  its  wings.  Although  flying  from  flower  to  flower 
in  search  of  food,  its  stomach  generally  contained  abundant  re- 
mains of  insects,  which  I  suspect  are  much  more  the  object  of  iU 
search  than  honey.  The  note  of  this  species,  like  that  of  nearly 
the  whole  family,  is  extremely  shrill. 


1834.]  ASPECT   OF   CHILOE.  273 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Chiloe — General  aspect — Boat  excursion — Native  Indians — Castro — Taine 
fox — Ascend  San  Pedro — Chonos  Archipelago — Peninsula  of  Tres  Montes 
— Granitic  range — Boat-wrecked  sailors — Low's  Harbour — Wild  potato — • 
Formation  of  peat — Myopotamus,  otter  and  mice — Cheucau  and  Barking- 
bird — Opetiorhynchus — Singular  character  of  Ornithology — Petrels. 

CHILOE  AND  CHONOS  ISLANDS. 

November  IQth. — THE  Beagle  sailed  from  Valparaiso  to  the 
south,  for  the  purpose  of  surveying  the  southern  part  of  Chile, 
the  island  of  Chiloe,  and  the  broken  land  called  the  Chonos  Ar- 
chipelago, as  far  south  as  the  Peninsula  of  Tres  Monies.  On  the 
21st  we  anchored  in  the  bay  of  S.  Carlos,  the  capital  of  Chiloe. 

This  island  is  about  ninety  miles  long,  with  a  breadth  of  rather 
less  than  thirty.  The  land  is  hilly,  but  not  mountainous,  and  is 
covered  by  one  great  forest,  except  where  a  few  green  patches  have 
been  cleared  round  the  thatched  cottages.  From  a  distance  the 
view  somewhat  resembles  that  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  ;  but  the  woods, 
when  seen  nearer,  are  incomparably  more  beautiful.  Many  kinds 
of  fine  evergreen  trees,  and  plants  with  a  tropical  character,  here 
take  the  place  of  the  gloomy  beech  of  the  southern  shores.  In 
winter  the  climate  is  detestable,  and  in  summer  it  is  only  a  little 
better.  I  should  think  there  are  few  parts  of  the  world,  within 
the  temperate  regions,  where  so  much  rain  falls.  The  winds  are 
very  boisterous,  and  the  sky  almost  always  clouded :  to  have  a 
week  of  fine  weather  is  something  wonderful.  It  is  even  difficult 
to  get  a  single  glimpse  of  the  Cordillera  :  during  our  first  visit, 
once  only  the  volcano  of  Osorno  stood  out  in  bold  relief,  and 
that  was  before  sunrise  ;  it  was  curious  to  watch,  as  the  sun  rose, 
the  outline  gradually  fading  away  in  the  glare  of  the  eastern 
sky. 

The  inhabitants,  from  their  complexion  and  low  stature,  ap- 
pear to  have  three-fourths  of  Indian  blood  in  their  veins.  They 
axe  an  humble,  quiet,  industrious  set  of  men.  Although  the  fer- 


274  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xm. 

tile  soil,  resulting  from  the  decomposition  of  the  volcanic  rocks, 
supports  a  rank  vegetation,  yet  the  climate  is  not  favourable  to 
any  production  which  requires  much  sunshine  to  ripen  it.  There 
is  very  little  pasture  for  the  larger  quadrupeds ;  and  in  conse- 
quence, the  staple  articles  of  food  are  pigs,  potatoes,  and  fish. 
The  people  all  dress  in  strong  woollen  garments,  which  each 
family  makes  for  itself,  and  dyes  with  indigo  of  a  dark  blue  co- 
lour. The  arts,  however,  are  in  the  rudest  state ; — as  may  be 
seen  in  their  strange  fashion  of  ploughing1,  their  method  of  spin- 
ning, grinding  corn,  and  in  the  construction  of  their  boats.  The 
forests  are  so  impenetrable,  that  the  land  is  nowhere  cultivated 
except  near  the  coast  and  on  the  adjoining  islets.  Even  where 
paths  exist,  they  are  scarcely  passable  from  the  soft  and  swampy 
state  of  the  soil.  The  inhabitants,  like  those  of  Tierra  del  Fue- 
go,  move  about  chiefly  on  the  beach  or  in  boats.  Although 
with  plenty  to  eat,  the  people  are  very  poor :  there  is  no  demand 
for  labour,  and  consequently  the  lower  orders  cannot  scrape  to- 
gether  money  sufficient  to  purchase  even  the  smallest  luxuries. 
There  is  also  a  great  deficiency  of  a  circulating  medium.  I  have 
seen  a  man  bringing  on  his  back  a  bag  of  charcoal,  with  which 
to  buy  some  trifle,  and  another  carrying  a  plank -to  exchange 
for  a  bottle  of  wine.  Hence  every  tradesman  must  also  be 
a  merchant,  and  again  sell  the  goods  which  he  takes  in  ex- 
change. 

November  24tlt. — The  yawl  and  whale-boat  were  sent  under 
the  command  of  Mr.  (now  Captain)  Sulivan,  to  survey  the  east- 
ern or  inland  coast  of  Chiloe;  and  with  orders  to  meet  the 
Beagle  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  island ;  to  which  point 
she  would  proceed  by  the  outside,  so  as  thus  to  circumnavigate 
the  whole.  I  accompanied  this  expedition,  but  instead  of  going 
in  the  boats  the  first  day,  I  hired  horses  to  take  me  to  Chacao, 
at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island.  The  road  followed  the 
coast ;  every  now  and  then  crossing  promontories  covered  by  fine 
forests.  In  these  shaded  paths  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the 
whole  road  should  be  made  of  logs  of  wood,  which  are  squared 
and  placed  by  the  side  of  each  other.  From  the  rays  of  the  sun 
never  penetrating  the  evergreen  foliage,  the  grouna  is  so  damp 
and  soft,  that  except  by  this  means  neither  man  nor  horse  would 
be  able  to  pass  along.  I  arrived  at  the  village  of  Chacao, 


1834.]  BOAT  EXCURSION.  275 

shortly  after  the  tents  belonging  to  the  boats  were  pitched  for 
the  night. 

The  land  in  this  neighbourhood  has  been  extensively  cleared, 
and  there  were  many  quiet  and  most  picturesque  nooks  in  the 
forest.  Chacao  was  formerly  the  principal  port  in  the  island ; 
but  many  vessels  having  been  lost,  owing  to  the  dangerous  CUT%- 
rents  and  rocks  In  the  straits,  the  Spanish  government  burnt  the 
church,  and  thus  arbitrarily  compelled  the  greater  number  of 
inhabitants  to  migrate  to  S.  Carlos.  We  had  not  long  bivou- 
acked, before  the  barefooted  son  of  the  governor  came  down  to 
reconnoitre  us.  Seeing  the  English  flag  hoisted  at  the  yawl's 
mast-head,  he  asked,  with  the  utmost  indifference,  whether  it 
was  always  to  fly  at  Chacao.  In  several  places,  the  inhabitants 
were  much  astonished  at  the  appearance  of  men-of-war's  boats, 
and  hoped  and  believed  it  was  the  forerunner  of  a  Spanish  fleet, 
coming  to  recover  the  island  from  the  patriot  government  of 
Chile.  All  the  men  in  power,  however,  had  been  informed  of 
our  intended  visit,  arid  were  exceedingly  civil.  While  we  were 
eating  our  supper,  the  governor  paid  us  a  visit.  He  had  been  a 
lieutenant-colonel  in  the  Spanish  service,  but  now  was  miserably 
poor.  He  gave  us  two  sheep,  and  accepted  in  return  two  cotton 
handkerchiefs,  some  brass  trinkets,  and  a  little  tobacco. 

25th. — Torrents  of  rain  :  we  managed,  however,  to  run  down 
the  coast  as  iar  as  Huapi-lenou.  The  whole  of  this  eastern  side 
of  Chiloe  has  one  aspect :  it  is  a  plain,  broken  by  valleys  and 
divided  into  little  islands,  and  the  whole  thickly  covered  with 
one  impervious  blackish-green  forest.  On  the  margins  there 
are  some  cleared  spaces,  surrounding  the  high-roofed  cottages. 

26th. — The  day  rose  splendidly  clear.  The  volcano  of  Osorno 
was  spouting  out  volumes  of  smoke.  This  most  beautiful  moun- 
tain, formed  like  a  perfect  cone,  and  white  with  snow,  stands 
out  in  front  of  the  Cordillera.  Another  great  volcano,  with  a 
saddle-shaped  summit,  also  emitted  from  its  immense  crater  little 
jets  of  steam.  Subsequently  we  saw  the  lofty-peaked  Corco- 
vado — well  deserving  the  name  of  "  el  famoso  Corcovado."  Thus 
we  beheld,  from  one  point  of  view,  three  great  active  volcanos, 
each  about  seven  thousand  feet  high.  In  addition  to  this,  far  to 
the  south,  there  were  other  lofty  cones  covered  with  snow,  which, 
although  not  known  to  be  active,  must  be  in  their  origin  vol« 


276  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xm. 

canic.  The  line  of  the  Andes  is  not,  in  this  neighbourhood, 
nearly  so  elevated  as  in  Chile ;  neither  does  it  appear  to  form  so 
perfect  a  barrier  between  the  regions  of  the  earth.  This  great 
range,  although  running  in  a  straight  north  and  south  line, 
cwing  to  an  optical  deception,  always  appeared  more  or  less 
curved ;  for  the  lines  drawn  from  each  peak  to  the  beholder's 
eye,  necessarily  converged  like  the  radii  of  a  semicircle,  and  as 
it  was  not  possible  (owing  to  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  and 
the  absence  of  all  intermediate  objects)  to  judge  how  far  distant 
the  farthest  peaks  were  off,  they  appeared  to  stand  in  a  flattish 
semicircle. 

Landing  at  midday,  we  saw  a  family  of  pure  Indian  extraction. 
The  father  was  singularly  like  York  Minster ;  and  some  of  the 
younger  boys,  with  their  ruddy  complexions,  might  have  been 
mistaken  for  Pampas  Indians.  Everything  I  have  seen,  con- 
vinces me  of  the  close  connexion  of  the  different  American  tribes, 
who  nevertheless  speak  distinct  languages.  This  party  could 
muster  but  little  Spanish,  and  talked  to  each  other  in  their  own 
tongue.  It  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  see  the  aborigines  advanced  to 
the  same  degree  of  civilization,  however  low  that  may  be,  which 
their  white  conquerors  have  attained.  More  to  the  south  we  saw 
many  pure  Indians :  indeed,  all  the  inhabitants  of  some  of  the 
islets  retain  their  Indian  surnames.  In  the  census  of  1832,  there 
were  in  Chiloe  and  its  dependencies  forty -two  thousand  souls : 
the  greater  number  of  these  appear  to  be  of  mixed  blood.  Eleven 
thousand  retain  their  Indian  surnames,  but  it  is  probable  that 
not  nearly  all  of  these  are  of  a  pure  breed.  Their  manner  of  life 
is  the  same  with  that  of  the  other  poor  inhabitants,  and  they  are 
all  Christians ;  but  it  is  said  that  they  yet  retain  some  strange 
superstitious  ceremonies,  and  that  they  pretend  to  hold  commu- 
nication with  the  devil  in  certain  caves.  Formerly,  every  one 
convicted  of  this  offence  was  sent  to  the  Inquisition  at  Lima. 
Many  of  the  inhabitants  who  are  not  included  in  the  eleven 
thousand  with  Indian  surnarres,  cannot  be  distinguished  by  their 
appearance  from  Indians.  Gomez,  the  governor  of  Lemuy,  is 
descended  from  noblemen  of  Spain  on  both  sides ;  but  by  con- 
stant intermarriages  with  the  natives  the  present  man  is  an 
Indian.  On  the  other  hand,  the  governor  of  Quinchao  boasts 
much  of  his  purely  kept  Spanish  blood. 


1834.]  TENURE  OF  LAND.  277 

We  reached  at  night  a  beautiful  little  cove,  north  of  the 
island  of  Caucahue.  The  people  here  complained  of  want  of 
land.  This  is  partly  owing  to  their  own  negligence  in  not  clear- 
ing the  woods,  and  partly  to  restrictions  by  the  government, 
which  makes  it  necessary  before  buying  ever  so  small  a  piece,  to 
pay  two  shillings  to  the  surveyor,  for  measuring  each  quadra 
(150  yards  square),  together  with  whatever  price  he  fixes  for  the 
value  of  the  land.  After  his  valuation,  the  land  must  be  put  up 
three  times  to  auction,  and  if  no  one  bids  more,  the  purchaser 
can  have  it  at  that  rate.  All  these  exactions  must  be  a  serious 
check  to  clearing  the  ground,  where  the  inhabitants  are  so  ex- 
tremely poor.  In  most  countries,  forests  are  removed  without 
much  difficulty  by  the  aid  of  fire  ;  but  in  Chiloe,  from  the  damp 
nature  of  the  climate,  and  the  sort  of  trees,  it  is  necessary  first  to 
cut  them  down.  This  is  a  heavy  drawback  to  the  prosperity  of 
Chiloe.  In  the  time  of  the  Spaniards  the  Indians  could  not  hold 
land  ;  and  a  family,  after  having  cleared  a  piece  of  ground,  might 
be  driven  away,  and  the  property  seized  by  the  government. 
The  Chilian  authorities  are  now  performing  an  act  of  justice  by 
making  retribution  to  these  poor  Indians,  giving  to  each  man, 
according  to  his  grade  of  life,  a  certain  portion  of  land.  The 
value  of  uncleared  ground  is  very  little.  The  government  gave 
Mr.  Douglas  (the  present  surveyor,  who  informed  me  of  these 
circumstances)  eight  and  a  half  square  miles  of  forest  near  San 
Carlos,  in  lieu  of  a  debt ;  and  this  he  sold  for  350  dollars,  or 
about  70/.  sterling. 

The  two  succeeding  days  were  fine,  and  at  night  we  reached 
the  island  of  Quinchao.  This  neighbourhood  is  the  most  culti- 
vated part  of  the  Archipelago ;  for  a  broad  strip  of  land  on  the 
coast  of  the  main  island,  as  well  as  on  many  of  the  smaller  ad- 
joining ones,  is  almost  completely  cleared.  Some  of  the  farm- 
houses seemed  very  comfortable.  I  was  curious  to  ascertain 
how  rich  any  of  these  people  might  be,  but  Mr.  Douglas  says 
that  no  one  can  be  considered  as  possessing  a  regular  income. 
One  of  the  richest  landowners  might  possibly  accumulate,  in  a 
long  industrious  life,  as  much  as  1000/.  sterling ;  but  should  this 
happen,  it  would  all  be  stowed  away  in  some  secret  corner,  for  it 
is  the  custom  of  almost  every  family  to  have  a  jar  or  treasure, 
chest  buried  in  the  ground 


278  CHTLOR  [CHAP.  xm. 

November  30th. — Early  on  Sunday  morning  we  reached  Castro, 
the  ancient  capital  of  Chiloe,  but  now  a  most  forlorn  and  de- 
serted place.  The  usual  quadrangular  arrangement  of  Spanish 
towns  could  be  traced,  but  the  streets  and  plaza  were  coated  with 
fine  green  turf,  on  which  sheep  were  browsing.  The  church, 
which  stands  in  the  middle,  is  entirely  built  of  plank,  and  has  a 
picturesque  and  venerable  appearance.  The  poverty  of  the 
place  may  be  conceived  from  the  fact,  that  although  containing 
some  hundreds  of  inhabitants,  one  of  our  party  was  unable  any- 
where to  purchase  either  a  pound  of  sugar  or  an  ordinary  knife. 
No  individual  possessed  either  a  watch  or  a  clock ;  and  an  old 
man,  who  was  supposed  to  have  a  good  idea  of  time,  was  em- 
ployed to  strike  the  church  bell  by  guess.  The  arrival  of  our 
boats  was  a  rare  event  in  this  quiet  retired  corner  of  the  world  ; 
and  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  came  down  to  the  beach  to  see  us 
pitch  our  tents.  They  were  very  civil,  and  offered  us  a  house  ; 
and  one  man  even  sent  us  a  cask  of  cider  as  a  present.  In  the 
afternoon  we  paid  our  respects  to  the  governor — a  quiet  old  man, 
who,  in  his  appearance  and  manner  of  life,  was  scarcely  superior 
to  an  English  cottager.  At  night  heavy  rain  set  in,  which  was 
hardly  sufficient  to  drive  away  from  our  tents  the  large  circle  of 
lockers  on.  An  Indian  family,  who  had  come  to  trade  in  a 
canoe  from  Caylen,  bivouacked  near  us.  They  had  no  shelter 
during  the  rain.  In  the  morning  I  asked  a  young  Indian,  who 
was  wet  to  the  skin,  how  he  had  passed  the  night.  He  seemed 
perfectly  content,  and  answered,  "  Muy  bien,  senor." 

December  1st. — We  steered  for  the  island  of  Lemuy.  I  was 
inxious  to  examine  a  reported  coal-mine,  which  turned  out  to  be 
lignite  of  little  value,  in  the  sandstone  (probably  of  an  ancient 
tertiary  epoch)  of  which  these  islands  are  composed.  When  we 
reached  Lemuy  we  had  much  difficulty  in  finding  any  place  to 
pitch  our  tents,  for  it  was  spring-tide,  and  the  land  was  wooded 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  In  a  short  time  we  were  surrounded 
by  a  large  group  of  the  nearly  pure  Indian  inhabitants.  They 
were  much  surprised  at  our  arrival,  and  said  one  to  the  other, 
"  This  is  the  reason  we  have  seen  so  many  parrots  lately ;  the 
sheucau  (an  odd  red-breasted  little  bird,  which  inhabits  the  thick 
forest,  and  utters  very  peculiar  noises)  has  not  cried  '  beware ' 
for  nothing."  They  were  soon  anxious  for  barter.  Money  was 


1834.]  POVERTY   OF   THE   INDIANS.  279 

scarcely  worth  anything,  but  their  eagerness  for  tobacco  w&s 
something  quite  extraordinary.  After  tobacco,  indigo  came  next 
in  value ;  then  capsicum,  old  clothes,  and  gunpowder.  The  latter 
article  was  required  for  a  very  innocent  purpose :  each  parish  has 
a  public  musket,  and  the  gunpowder  was  wanted  for  making  a 
noise  on  their  saint  or  feast  days. 

The  people  here  live  chiefly  on  shell-fish  and  potatoes.  At 
certain  seasons  they  catch  also,  in  "  corrales,"  or  hedges  under 
water,  many  fish  which  are  left  on  the  mud-banks  as  the  tide 
falls.  They  occasionally  possess  fowls,  sheep,  goats,  pigs,  horses, 
and  cattle ;  the  order  in  which  they  are  here  mentioned,  ex- 
pressing their  respective  numbers.  I  never  saw  anything  more 
obliging  and  humble  than  the  manners  of  these  people.  They 
generally  began  with  stating,  that  they  were  poor  natives  of  the 
place,  and  not  Spaniards,  and  that  they  were  in  sad  want  of 
tobacco  and  other  comforts.  At  Caylen,  the  most  southern 
island,  the  sailors  bought  with  a  stick  of  tobacco,  of  the  value  of 
three-halfpence,  two  fowls,  one  of  which,  the  Indian  stated,  had 
skin  between  its  toes,  and  turned  out  to  be  a  fine  duck  ;  and  with 
some  cotton  handkerchiefs,  worth  three  shillings,  three  sheep 
and  a  large  bunch  of  onions  were  procured.  The  yawl  at  this 
place  was  anchored  some  way  from  the  shore,  and  we  had  fears 
for  her  safety  from  robbers  during  the  night.  Our  pilot,  Mr. 
Douglas,  accordingly  told  the  constable  of  the  district  that  we 
always  placed  sentinels  with  loaded  arms,  and  not  understanding 
Spanish,  if  we  saw  any  person  in  the  dark,  we  should  assuredly 
shoot  him.  The  constable,  with  much  humility,  agreed  to  the 
perfect  propriety  of  this  arrangement,  and  promised  us  that  no 
one  should  stir  out  of  his  house  during  that  night. 

During  the  four  succeeding  days  we  continued  sailing  south- 
ward. The  general  features  of  the  country  remained  the  same, 
but  it  was  much  less  thickly  inhabited.  On  the  large  island  of 
Tanqui  there  was  scarcely  one  cleared  spot,  the  trees  on  every 
side  extending  their  branches  over  the  sea-beach.  I  one  day 
noticed,  growing  on  the  sandstone  cliffs,  some  very  fine  plants  of 
the  panke  (Gunnera  scabra),  which  somewhat  resembles  the 
rhubarb  on  a  gigantic  scale.  The  inhabitants  eat  the  stalks, 
which  are  subacid,  and  tan  leather  with  the  roots,  and  prepare  a 
bkck  dye  from  them.  The  leaf  is  nearly  circular,  but  deeply 
19 


CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xm. 


indented  on  its  margin.  I  measured  one  which  was  nearly  eight 
feet  in  diameter,  and  therefore  no  less  than  twenty-four  in  cir- 
cumference !  The  stalk  is  rather  more  than  a  yard  high,  and 
each  plant  sends  out  four  or  five  of  these  enormous  leaves,  pre- 
senting together  a  very  noble  appearance. 

December  6th.— We  reached  Caylen,  called  "  el  fin  del  Cristi- 
andad."  In  the  morning  we  stopped  for  a  few  minutes  at  a 
house  on  the  northern  end  of  Laylec,  which  was  the  extreme 
point  of  South  American  Christendom,  and  a  miserable  hovel  it 
was.  The  latitude  is  43°  10',  which  is  two  degrees  farther  south 
than  the  Rio  Negro  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  These  extreme  Chris- 
tians were  very  poor,  and,  under  the  plea  of  their  situation,  begged 
for  some  tobacco.  As  a  proof  of  the  poverty  of  these  Indians, 
I  may  mention  that  shortly  before  this,  we  had  met  a  man,  who 
had  travelled  three  days  and  a  half  on  foot,  and  had  as  many  to 
return,  for  the  sake  of  recovering  the  value  of  a  small  axe  and  a 
few  fish.  How  very  difficult  it  must  be  to  buy  the  smallest  article, 
when  such  trouble  is  taken  to  recover  so  small  a  debt  I 

In  the  evening  we  reached  the  island  of  San  Pedro,  where  we 
found  the  Beagle  at  anchor.  In  doubling  the.  point,  two  of  the 
officers  landed  to  take  a  round  of  angles  with  the  theodolite.  A 
fox  (Canis  fulvipes),  of  a  kind  said  to  be  peculiar  to  the  island, 
and  very  rare  in  it,  and  which  is  a  new  species,  was  sitting  on 
the  rocks.  He  was  so  intently  absorbed  in  watching  the  work  of 
the  officers,  that  I  was  able,  by  quietly  walking  up  behind,  to 
knock  him  on  the  head  with  my  geological  hammer.  This  fox, 
more  curious  or  more  scientific,  but  less  wise,  than  the  generality 
of  his  brethren,  is  now  mounted  in  the  museum  of  the  Zoological 
Society. 

We  stayed  three  days  in  this  harbour,  on  one  of  which  Captain 
Fitz  Roy,  with  a  party,  attempted  to  ascend  to  the  summit  of 
San  Pedro.  The  woods  here  had  rather  a  different  appearance 
from  those  on  the  northern  part  of  the  island.  The  rock,  also, 
being  micaceous  slate,  there  was  no  beach,  but  the  steep  sides 
dipped  directly  beneath  the  water.  The  general  aspect  in  con- 
sequence was  more  like  that  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  than  of  Chiloe. 
In  vain  we  tried  to  gain  the  summit :  the  forest  was  so  impene- 
trable, that  no  one  who  has  not  beheld  it,  can  imagine  so  en- 
tangled amass  of  dying  and  dead  trunks.  I  am  sure  that  often, 


1834.]  SAN  PEDRO.  281 


for  more  than  ten  minutes  together,  our  feet  never  touched  the 
ground,  and  we  were  frequently  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  it,  so 
that  the  seamen  as  a  joke  called  out  the  soundings.  At  other 
times  we  crept  one  after  another  on  our  hands  and  knees,  under 
the  rotten  trunks.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  mountain,  noble 
trees  of  the  Winter's  Bark,  and  a  laurel  like  the  sassafras  with 
fragrant  leaves,  and  others,  the  names  of  which  I  do  not  know, 
were  matted  together  by  a  trailing  bamboo  or  cane.  Here  we 
were  more  like  fishes  struggling  in  a  net  than  any  other  animal. 
On  the  higher  parts,  brushwood  takes  the  place  of  larger  trees, 
with  here  and  there  a  red  cedar  or  an  alerce  pine.  I  was  also 
pleased  to  see,  at  an  elevation  of  a  little  less  than  1000  feet,  our 
old  friend  the  southern  beech.  They  were,  however,  poor  stunted 
trees  ;  and  I  should  think  that  this  must  be  nearly  their  northern 
limit.  We  ultimately  gave  up  the  attempt  in  despair. 

December  10th. — The  yawl  and  whale-boat,  with  Mr.  Sulivan, 
proceeded  on  their  survey,  but  I  remained  on  board  the  Beagle, 
which  the  next  day  left  San  Pedro  for  the  southward.  On  the 
13th  we  ran  into  an  opening  in  the  southern  part  of  Guayatecas, 
or  the  Chonos  Archipelago ;  and  it  was  fortunate  we  did  so,  for 
on  the  following  day  a  storm,  worthy  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  raged 
with  great  fury.  White  massive  clouds  were  piled  up  against  a 
dark  blue  sky,  and  across  them  black  ragged  sheets  of  vapour 
were  rapidly  driven.  The  successive  mountain  ranges  appeared 
like  dim  shadows ;  and  the  setting  sun  cast  on  the  woodland  a 
yellow  gleam,  much  like  that  produced  by  the  flame  of  spirits  of 
wine.  The  water  was  white  with  the  flying  spray,  and  the  wind 
lulled  and  roared  again  through  the  rigging :  it  was  an  ominous, 
sublime  scene.  During  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  bright  rain- 
bow, and  it  was  curious  to  observe  the  effect  of  the  spray,  which, 
being  carried  along  the  surface  of  the  water,  changed  the  ordi- 
nary semicircle  into  a  circle — a  band  of  prismatic  colours  being 
continued,  from  both  feet  of  the  common  arch  across  the  bay, 
close  to  the  vessel's  side:  thus  forming  a  distorted,  but  very 
nearly  entire  ring. 

We  stayed  here  three  days.  The  weather  continued  bad  ;  but 
this  did  not  much  signify,  for  the  surface  of  the  land  i/i  all  these 
islands  is  all  but  impassable.  The  coast  is  so  very  rugged  that 
to  attempt  to  walk  in  that  direction  requires  continued  scrambling 


282  CHOXOS   ARCHirELAGO.  [CHAP.  xm. 

up  and  down  over  the  sharp  rocks  of  mica-slate  ;  and  as  for  the 
woods,  our  faces,  hands,  and  shin-bones  all  bore  witness  to  the 
maltreatment  we  received,  in  merely  attempting  to  penetrate  their 
forbidden  recesses. 

December  ISth.— We  stood  out  to  sea.  On  the  20th  we  bade 
farewell  to  the  south,  and  with  a  fair  .wind  turned  the  ship's 
head  northward.  From  Cape  Tres  Monies  we  sailed  pleasantly 
along  the  lofty  weather-beaten  coast,  which  is  remarkable  for 
the  bold  outline  of  its  hills,  and  the  thick  covering  of  forest 
even  on  the  almost  precipitous  flanks.  The  next  day  a  harbour 
was  discovered,  which  on  this  dangerous  coast  might  be  of  great 
service  to  a  distressed  vessel.  It  can  easily  be  recognised  by  a 
hill  1600  feet  high,  which  is  even  more  perfectly  conical  than 
the  famous  sugar-loaf  at  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  next  day,  after 
anchoring,  I  succeeded  in  reaching  the  summit  of  this  hill.  It 
was  a  laborious  undertaking,  for  the  sides  were  so  steep  that  in 
some  parts  it  was  necessary  to  use  the  trees  as  ladders.  There 
were  also  several  extensive  brakes  of  the  Fuchsia,  covered  with  its 
beautiful  drooping  flowers,  but  very  difficult  to  crawl  through. 
In  these  wild  countries  it  gives  much  delight  to  gain  the  summit 
of  any  mountain.  There  is  an  indefinite  expectation  of  seeing 
something  very  strange,  which,  however  often  it  may  be  balked, 
never  failed  with  me  to  recur  on  each  successive  attempt.  Every 
one  must  know  the  feeling  of  triumph  and  pride  which  a  grand 
view  from  a  height  communicates  to  the  mind.  In  these  little 
frequented  countries  there  is  also  joined  to  it  some  vanity,  that 
you  perhaps  are  the  first  man  who  ever  stood  on  this  pinnacle  or 
admired  this  view. 

A  strong  desire  is  always  felt  to  ascertain  whether  any  human 
being  has  previously  visited  an  unfrequented  spot.  A  bit  of 
wood  with  a  nail  in  it,  is  picked  up  and  studied  as  if  it  were 
covered  with  hieroglyphics.  Possessed  with  this  feeling,  I  was 
much  interested  by  finding,  on  a  wild  part  of  the  coast,  a  bed 
made  of  grass  beneath  a  ledge  of  rock.  Close  by  it  there  had 
been  a  fire,  and  the  man  had  used  an  axe.  The  fire,  bed,  and 
situation  showed  the  dexterity  of  an  Indian  ;  but  he  could  scarcely 
have  been  an  Indian,  for  the  race  is  in  tins  part  extinct,  owing 
to  the  Catholic  desire  of  making  at  one  blow  Christians  and 
Slaves.  I  had  at  the  time  some  misgivings  that  the  solitary  mail 


1834.]  BOAT-WRECKED   SAILORS.  283 

who  had  made  his  bed  on  this  wild  spot,  must  have  been  some 
poor  shipwrecked  sailor,  who,  in  trying  to  travel  up  the  coast, 
had  here  laid  himself  down  for  his  dreary  night. 

December  28th. — The  weather  continued  very  bad,  but  it  at 
last  permitted  us  to  proceed  with  the  survey.  The  time  hung 
heavy  on  our  hands,  as  it  always  did  when  we  were  delayed  from 
day  to  day  by  successive  gales  of  wind.  In  the  evening  another 
harbour  was  discovered,  where  we  anchored.  Directly  after- 
wards a  man  was  seen  waving  his  shirt,  and  a  boat  was  sent 
which  brought  back  two  seamen.  A  party  of  six  had  run  away 
from  an  American  whaling  vessel,  and  had  landed  a  little  to  the 
southward  in  a  boat,  which  was  shortly  afterwards  knocked  to 
pieces  by  the  surf.  They  had  now  been  wandering  up  and  down 
the  coast  for  fifteen  months,  without  knowing  which  way  to  go, 
or  where  they  were.  What  a  singular  piece  of  good  fortune  it 
was  that  this  harbour  was  now  discovered !  Had  it  not  been  for 
this  one  chance,  they  might  have  wandered  till  they  had  grown 
old  men,  and  at  last  have  perished  on  this  wild  coast.  Their  suf- 
ferings had  been  very  great,  and  one  of  their  party  had  lost  his 
life  by  falling  from  the  cliffs.  They  were  sometimes  obliged  to 
separate  in  search  of  food,  and  this  explained  the  bed  of  the  soli- 
tary man.  Considering  what  they  had  undergone,  I  think  they 
had  kept  a  very  good  reckoning  of  time,  for  they  had  lost  only 
four  days. 

December  30th. — We  anchored  in  a  snug  little  cove  at  the 
foot  of  some  high  hills,  near  the  northern  extremity  of  Tres 
JSIontes.  After  breakfast  the  next  morning,  a  party  ascended 
one  of  these  mountains,  which  was  2400  feet  high.  The  scenery 
was  remarkable.  The  chief  part  of  the  range  was  composed  01 
grand,  solid,  abrupt  masses  of  granite,  which  appeared  as  if  they 
had  been  coeval  with  the  beginning  of  the  world.  The  granite 
was  capped  with  mica-slate,  and  this  in  the  lapse  of  ages  had  been 
worn  into  strange  finger-shaped  points.  These  two  formations, 
thus  differing  in  their  outlines,  agree  in  being  almost  destitute  01 
vegetation.  This  barrenness  had  to  our  eyes  a  strange  appear- 
ance, from  having  been  so  long  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  an 
almost  universal  forest  of  dark -green  trees.  I  took  much  delighi 
in  examining  the  structure  of  these  mountains.  The  compli- 
cated and  lofty  ranges  bore  a  noble  aspect  of  durability — equally 


284  CHONOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xm. 

profitless,  however,  to  man  and  to  all  other  animals.  Granite  to 
r.he  geologist  is  classic  ground  :  from  its  wide-spread  limits,  and 
its  beautiful  and  compact  texture,  few  rocks  have  been  more 
anciently  recognised.  Granite  has  given  rise,  perhaps,  to  more 
discussion  concerning  its  origin  than  any  other  formation.  We 
generally  see  it  constituting  the  fundamental  rock,  and,  however 
formed,  we  know  it  is  the  deepest  layer  in  the  crust  of  this  globe 
to  which  man  has  penetrated.  The  limit  of  man's  knowledge  in 
any  subject  possesses  a  high  interest,  which  is  perhaps  increased 
by  its  close  neighbourhood  to  the  realms  of  imagination. 

January  1st,  1835. — The  new  year  is  ushered  in  with  the 
ceremonies  proper  to  it  in  these  regions.  She  lays  out  no  false 
hopes :  a  heavy  north-western  gale,  with  steady  rain,  bespeaks 
the  rising  year.  Thank  God,  we  are  not  destined  here  to  see  the 
end  of  it,  but  hope  then  to  be  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  a  blue 
sky  tells  one  there  is  a  heaven, — a  something  beyond  the  clouds 
above  our  heads. 

The  north-west  winds  prevailing  for  the  next  four  days,  we 
jnly  managed  to  cross  a  great  bay,  and  then  anchored  in  another 
secure  harbour.  I  accompanied  the  Captain  in  a  boat  to  the 
head  of  a  deep  creek.  On  the  way  the  number  of  seals  which  we 
saw  was  quite  astonishing :  every  bit  of  flat  rock,  and  parts  of 
the  beach,  were  covered  with  them.  They  appeared  to  be  of  a 
loving  disposition,  and  lay  huddled  together,  fast  asleep,  like  so 
many  pigs ;  but  even  pigs  would  have  been  ashamed  of  their 
dirt,  and  of  the  foul  smell  which  came  from  them.  Each  herd 
was  watched  by  the  patient  but  inauspicious  eyes  of  the  turkey- 
buzzard.  This  disgusting  bird,  with  its  bald  scarlet  head,  formed 
to  wallow  in  putridity,  is  very  common  on  the  west  coast,  and 
their  attendance  on  the  seals  shows  on  what  they  rely  for  their 
food.  We  found  the  water  (probably  only  that  of  the  surface) 
nearly  fresh :  this  was  caused  by  the  number  of  torrents  which, 
in  the  form  of  cascades,  came  tumbling  over  the  bold  granite 
mountains  into  the  sea.  The  fresh  water  attracts  the  fish,  and 
these  bring  many  terns,  gulls,  and  two  kinds  of  cormorant.  We 
saw  also  a  pair  of  the  beautiful  black-necked  swans,  and  several 
small  sea-otters,  the  fur  of  which  is  held  in  such  high  estimation. 
In  returning,  we  were  again  amused  by  the  impetuous  manner  in 
which  the  heap  of  seals,  old  and  young,  tumbled  into  the  water 


1835.]  WILD   POTATO.  285 

as  the  boat  passed.  They  did  not  remain  long  under  water,  hut 
rising,  followed  us  with  outstretched  necks,  expressing  great 
wonder  and  curiosity. 

1th. — Having  run  up  the  coast,  we  anchored  near  the  northern 
end  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago,  in  Low's  Harbour,  where  we 
remained  a  week.  The  islands  were  here,  as  in  Chiloe,  composed 
of  a  stratified,  soft,  littoral  deposit ;  and  the  vegetation  in  conse- 
quence was  beautifully  luxuriant.  The  woods  came  down  to 
the  sea-beach,  just  in  the  manner  of  an  evergreen  shrubbery 
over  a  gravel  walk.  We  also  enjoyed  from  the  anchorage  a 
splendid  view  of  four  great  snowy  cones  of  the  Cordillera,  in- 
cluding "  el  famoso  Corcovado :"  the  range  itself  had  in  this 
latitude  so  little  height,  that  few  parts  of  it  appeared  above 
the  tops  of  the  neighbouring  islets.  We  found  here  a  party 
of  five  men  from  Caylen,  "  el  fin  del  Cristiandad,"  who  had 
most  adventurously  crossed  in  their  miserable  boat-canoe,  for 
the  purpose  of  fishing,  the  open  space  of  sea  which  separates 
Chonos  from  Chiloe.  These  islands  will,  in  all  probability,  in 
a  short  time  become  peopled  like  those  adjoining  the  coast  of 
Chiloe. 

The  wild  potato  grows  on  these  islands  in  great  abundance, 
on  the  sandy,  shelly  soil  near  the  sea-beach.  The  tallest  plant 
was  four  feet  in  height.  The  tubers  were  generally  small,  but  I 
found  one,  of  an  oval  shape,  two  inches  in  diameter :  they  re- 
sembled in  every  respect,  and  had  the  same  smell  as  English 
potatoes  ;  but  when  boiled  they  shrunk  much,  and  were  watery 
and  insipid,  without  any  bitter  taste.  They  are  undoubtedly 
here  indigenous  :  they  grow  as  far  south,  according  to  Mr.  Low, 
as  lat.  50°,  and  are  called  Aquinas  by  the  wild  Indians  of  that  part : 
the  Chilotan  Indians  have  a  different  name  for  them.  Professor 
Henslow,  who  has  examined  the  dried  specimens  which  I  brought 
home,  says  that  they  are  the  same  with  those  described  by  Mr. 
Sabine  *  from  Valparaiso,  but  that  they  form  a  variety  which  by 
some  botanists  has  been  considered  as  specifically  distinct.  It  is 
remarkable  that  the  same  plant  should  be  found  on  the  sterile 

*  Horticultural  Transact,  vol.  v.  p.  249.  Mr.  Caldcleugh  sent  home  two 
tubers,  which,  being  well  manured,  even  the  first  season  produced  numerous 
potatoes  and  an  abundance  of  leaves.  See  Humboldfs  interesting  discussion 
on  this  plant,  which  it  appears  was  unknown  in  Mexico, — in  Polit.  Essay  on 
New  Spain,  book  iv.  chap.  ix. 


286  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xra. 

mountains  of  central  Chile,  where  a  drop  of  rain  does  not  fall  for 
more  than  six  months,  and  within  the  damp  forests  of  these 
southern  islands. 

In  the  central  parts  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago  (lat.  45°),  the 
forest  has  very  much  the  same  character  with  that  along  the 
whole  west  coast,  for  600  miles  southward  to  Cape  Horn.  The 
arborescent  grass  of  Chiloe  is  not  found  here ;  while  the  beech  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego  grows  to  a  good  size,  and  forms  a  considerable 
proportion  of  the  wood ;  not,  however,  in  the  same  exclusive 
manner  as  it  does  farther  southward.  Cryptogamic  plants  here 
find  a  most  congenial  climate.  In  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  as 
I  have  before  remarked,  the  country  appears  too  cold  and  wet 
to  allow  of  their  arriving  at  perfection ;  but  in  these  islands, 
.within  the  forest,  the  number  of  species  and  great  abundance  of 
mosses,  lichens,  and  small  ferns,  is  quite  extraordinary.*  In 
Tierra  del  Fuego  trees  grow  only  on  the  hill-sides ;  every  level 
piece  of  land  being  invariably  covered  by  a  thick  bed  of  peat ; 
but  in  Chiloe  flat  land  supports  the  most  luxuriant  forests.  Here, 
within  the  Chonos  Archipelago,  the  nature  of  the  climate  more 
closely  approaches  that  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  than  that  of  north- 
ern Chiloe ;  for  every  patch  of  level  ground  is  covered  by  two 
species  of  plants  (Astelia  pumila  and  Donatia  magellanica), 
which  by  their  joint  decay  compose  a  thick  bed  of  elastic  peat. 

In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  above  the  region  of  woodland,  the  for- 
mer  of  these  eminently  sociable  plants  is  the  chief  agent  in  the 
production  of  peat.  Fresh  leaves  are  always  succeeding  one  to 
the  other  round  the  central  tap-root ;  the  lower  ones  soon  decay, 
and  in  tracing  a  root  downwards  in  the  peat,  the  leaves,  yet  hold- 
ing their  place,  can  be  observed  passing  through  every  stage  of 
decomposition,  till  the  whole  becomes  blended  in  one  confused 
mass.  The  Astelia  is  assisted  by  a  few  other  plants, — here  and 
there  a  small  creeping  Myrtus  (M.  nummularia),  with  a  woody 
stem  like  our  cranberry  and  with  a  sweet  berry, — an  Empetrum 
(E.  rubrum),  like  our  heath, — a  rush  (Juncus  grandiflorus),  are 
nearly  the  only  ones  that  grow  on  the  swampy  surface.  These 
plants,  though  possessing  a  very  close  general  resemblance  to 

*  By  sweeping  with  my  insect-net  I  procured  from  these  situations  a 
considerable  number  of  minute  insects  of  the  family  of  Staphylinidae,  and 
others  allied  to  Pselaphus,  and  minutv  Hymenoptera.  But  the  most  cha- 
racteristic family  in  number,  both  of  ii  dividuals  and  species,  throughout  the 
more  open  parts  of  Chiioe  and  Cljooos  is  that  of  the  Telephoridae. 


1835.]  FORMATION   OF   PEAT.  28V 

the  English  species  of  the  same  genera,  are  different.  In  the 
more  level  parts  of  the  country,  the  surface  of  the  peat  is 
broken  up  into  little  pools  of  water,  which  stand  at  different 
heights,  anJ  r.ppear  as  if  artificially  excavated.  Small  streams 
of  water,  flowing  underground,  complete  the  disorganization  of 
the  vegetable  matter,  and  consolidate  the  whole 

The  climate  of  the  southern  part  of  America  appears  particu- 
larly favourable  to  the  production  of  peat.  In  the  Falkland 
Islands  almost  every  kind  of  plant,  even  the  coarse  grass  which 
covers  the  whole  surface  of  the  land,  becomes  converted  into  this 
substance :  scarcely  any  situation  checks  its  growth  ;  some  of  the 
beds  areas  much  as  twelve  feet  thick,  and  the  lower  part  becomes 
so  solid  when  dry,  that  it  will  hardly  burn.  Although  every  plant 
lends  its  aid,  yet  in  most  parts  the  Astelia  is  the  most  efficient 
It  is  rather  a  singular  circumstance,  as  being  so  very  different  from 
what  occurs  in  Europe,  that  I  nowhere  saw  moss  forming  by  its 
decay  any  portion  of  the  peat  in  South  America.  With  respect 
to  the  northern  limit,  at  which  the  climate  allows  of  that  peculiar 
kind  of  slow  decomposition  which  is  necessary  for  its  production., 
I  believe  that  in  Chiloe  (lat.  41°  to  42°),  although  there  is  much 
swampy  ground,  no  well  characterized  peat  occurs :  but  in  the 
Chonos  Islands,  three  degrees  farther  southward,  we  have  seen 
that  it  is  abundant.  On  the  eastern  coast  in  La  Plata  (lat.  35°) 
I  was  told  by  a  Spanish  resident,  who  had  visited  Ireland,  that 
he  had  often  sought  for  this  substance,  but  had  never  been  able  to 
find  any.  He  showed  me,  as  the  nearest  approach  to  it  which  he 
had  discovered,  a  black  peaty  soil,  so  penetrated  with  roots  as  to 
allow  of  an  extremely  slow  and  imperfect  combustion. 

The  zoology  of  these  broken  islets  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago 
is,  as  might  have  been  expected,  very  poor.  Of  quadrupeds  two 
aquatic  kinds  are  common.  The  Myopotamus  Coypus  (like  a 
beaver,  but  with  a  round  tail)  is  well  known  from  its  fine  fur, 
which  is  an  object  of  trade  throughout  the  tributaries  of  La  Plata. 
It  here,  however,  exclusively  frequents  salt  water  ;  which  same 
circumstance  has  been  mentioned  as  sometimes  occurring  with 
the  great  rodent,  the  Capybara.  A  small  sea-otter  is  very  nu- 
merous ;  this  animal  does  not  feed  exclusively  on  fish,  but,  like 
the  seals,  draws  a  large  supply  from  a  small  red  crab,  which 


288  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xm. 

swims  in  shoals  near  the  surface  of  the  water.  Mr.  Byr.oe  saw 
one  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  eating  a  cuttle-fish ;  and  at  Low's 
Harbour,  another  was  killed  in  the  act  of  carrying  to  its  hole  a 
large  volute  shell.  At  one  place  I  caught  in  a  trap  a  singular 
little  mouse  (M.  brachiotis) ;  it  appeared  common  on  several  of 
the  islets,  but  the  Chilotans  at  Low's  Harbour  said  that  it  was 
not  found  in  all.  What  a  succession  of  chances,*  or  what 
changes  of  level  must  have  been  brought  into  play,  thus  to  spread 
these  small  animals  throughout  this  broken  archipelago  ! 

In  all  parts  of  Chiloe  and  Chonos,  two  very  strange  birdh 
occur,  which  are  allied  to,  and  replace,  the  Turco  and 
Tapacolo  of  central  Chile.  One  is  called  by  the  inhabi- 
tants "  Cheucau "  (Pteroptochos  rubecula) :  it  frequents  the 
most  gloomy  and  retired  spots  within  the  damp  forests.  Some- 
times, although  its  cry  may  be  heard  close  at  hand,  let  a  person 
watch  ever  so  attentively  he  will  not  see  the  cheucau ;  at  other 
times,  let  him  stand  motionless  and  the  red-breasted  little  bird 
will  approach  within  a  few  feet  in  the  most  familiar  manner.  It 
then  busily  hops  about  the  entangled  mass  of  rotting  canes  and 
branches,  with  its  little  tail  cocked  upwards.  The  cheucau  is 
held  in  superstitious  fear  by  the  Chilotans,  on  account  of  its 
strange  and  varied  cries.  There  are  three  very  distinct  cries  : 
one  is  called  "  chiduco,"  and  is  an  omen  of  good ;  another, 
"  huitreu,"  which  is  extremely  unfavourable ;  and  a  third,  which 
I  have  forgotten.  These  words  are  given  in  imitation  of  the 
noises  ;  and  the  natives  are  in  some  things  absolutely  governed  by 
them.  The  Chilotans  assuredly  have  chosen  a  most  comical 
little  creature  for  their  prophet.  An  allied  species,  but  rather 
larger,  is  called  by  the  natives  "  Guid-guid "  (Pteroptochos 
Tarnii),  and  by  the  English  the  barking-bird.  This  latter  name 
is  well  given  ;  for  I  defy  any  one  at  first  to  feel  certain  that  a 
small  dog  is  not  yelping  somewhere  in  the  forest.  Just  as  with 
the  cheucau,  a  person  will  sometimes  hear  the  bark  close  by,  but 
in  vain  may  endeavour  by  watching,  and  with  still  less  chance  by 
beating  the  bushes,  to  see  the  bird ;  yet  at  otber  times  the  guid- 

*  It  is  said  that  some  rapacious  birds  bring  their  prey  alive  to  their  nests. 
If  so,  in  the  course  of  centuries,  every  now  and  then,  one  might  escape  from 
the  young  birds.  Some  such  agency  is  necessary,  to  account  for  the  distri- 
tration  of  the  smaller  gnawing  animals  on  islands  not  very  near  each  other. 


1835.]  ORNITHOLOGY.  289 

guid  fearlessly  comes  near.     Its  manner  of  feeding  and  its  general 
habits  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  cheucau. 

On  the  coast,*  a  small  dusky-coloured  bird  (Opetiorhynchus 
Patagonicus)  is  very  common.  It  is  remarkable  from  its  quiet 
habits ;  it  lives  entirely  on  the  sea-beach,  like  a  sandpiper. 
Besides  these  birds  only  few  others  inhabit  this  broken  land. 
In  my  rough  notes  I  describe  the  strange  noises,  which,  although 
frequently  heard  within  these  gloomy  forests,  yet  scarcely  disturb 
the  general  silence.  The  yelping  of  the  guid-guid,  and  the  sudden 
whew- whew  of  the  cheucau,  sometimes  come  from  afar  off,  and 
sometimes  from  close  at  hand ;  the  little  black  wren  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego  occasionally  adds  its  cry  ;  the  creeper  (Oxyurus)  fol- 
lows the  intruder  screaming  and  twittering  ;  the  humming-bird 
may  be  seen  every  now  and  then  darting  from  side  to  side,  and 
emitting,  like  an  insect,  its  shrill  chirp ;  lastly,  from  the  top  of 
some  lofty  tree  the  indistinct  but  plaintive  note  of  the  white- 
tufted  tyrant-flycatcher  (Myiobius)  may  be  noticed.  From  the 
great  preponderance  in  most  countries  of  certain  common  genera 
of  birds,  such  as  the  finches,  one  feels  at  first  surprised  at  meet 
ing  with  the  peculiar  forms  above  enumerated,  as  the  commonest 
birds  in  any  district.  In  central  Chile  two  of  them,  namely,  the 
Oxyurus  and  Scytalopus,  occur,  although  most  rarely.  When 
finding,  as  in  this  case,  animals  which  seem  to  play  so  insig- 
nificant a  part  in  the  great  scheme  of  nature,  one  is  apt  to  wonder 
why  they  were  created.  But  it  should  always  be  recollected,  that 
in  some  other  country  perhaps  they  are  essential  members  of 
society,  or  at  some  former  period  may  have  been  so.  If  America 
south  of  37°  were  sunk  beneath  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  these 
two  birds  might  continue  to  exist  in  central  Chile  for  a  long 
period,  but  it  is  very  improbable  that  their  numbers  would 
increase.  We  should  then  see  a  case  which  must  inevitably  have 
happened  with  very  many  animals. 

These  southern  seas  are  frequented  by  several  species  of 
Petrels  :  the  largest  kind,  Procellaria  gigantea,  or  nelly  (que- 
brantahuesos,  or  break-bones,  of  the  Spaniards),  is  a  commo^ 

*  I  miy  mention,  as  a  proof  of  how  great  a  difference  there  is  between 
fhe  seaaousof  the  wooded  and  the  open  parts  of  this  coast,  that  on  September 
20tn.  in  iat.  3413,  these  birds  had  young  ones  in  the  nest,  while  among  the 
Chonos  Islands,  three  months  later  in  the  summer,  they  were  only  laying; 
the  difference  in  latitude  between  these  two  places  being  about  700  miles. 


290  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xin. 

bird,  both  in  the  inland  channels  and  on  the  open  sea.  In  ita 
habits  and  manner  of  flight,  there  is  a  very  close  resemblance 
with  the  albatross;  and  as  with  the  albatross,  a  person  may 
watch  it  for  hours  together  without  seeing  on  what  it  feeds. 
The  "  break-bones "  is,  however,  a  rapacious  bird,  for  it  was 
observed  by  some  of  the  officers  at  Port  St.  Antonio  chasing  a 
diver,  which  tried  to  escape  by  diving  and  flying,  but  was  con- 
tinually struck  down,  and  at  last  killed  by  a  blow  on  its  head. 
At  Port  St.  Julian  these  great  petrels  were  seen  killing  and 
devouring  young  gulls.  A  second  species  (Puffinus  cinereus), 
which  is  common  to  Europe,  Cape  Horn,  and  the  coast  of  Peru, 
is  of  a  much  smaller  size  than  the  P.  gigantea,  but,  like  it,  of  a 
dirty  black  colour.  It  generally  frequents  the  inland  sounds 
in  very  large  flocks :  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  so  many  birds  of 
any  other  sort  together,  as  I  once  saw  of  these  behind  the  island 
of  Chiloe.  Hundreds  of  thousands  flew  in  an  irregular  line  foi 
several  hours  in  one  direction.  "When  part  of  the  flock  settled 
on  the  water  the  surface  was  blackened,  and  a  noise  proceeded 
from  them  as  of  human  beings  talking  in  the  distance. 

There  are  several  other  species  of  petrels,  but  I  will  only 
mention  one  other  kind,  the  Pelacanoides  Berardi,  which  offers 
an  example  of  those  extraordinary  cases,  of  a  bird  evidently  be- 
longing to  one  well-marked  family,  yet  both  in  its  habits  and 
structure  allied  to  a  very  distinct  tribe.  This  bird  never  leavea 
the  quiet  inland  sounds.  When  disturbed  it  dives  to  a  distance, 
and  on  coming  to  the  surface,  with  the  same  movement  takes 
flight.  After  flying  by  the  rapid  movement  of  its  short  wings 
for  a  space  in  a  straight  line,  it  drops,  as  if  struck  dead,  and 
dives  again.  The  form  of  its  beak  and  nostrils,  length  of  foot, 
and  even  the  colouring  of  its  plumage,  show  that  this  bird  is  a 
petrel :  on  the  other  hand,  its  short  wings  and  consequent  little 
power  of  flight,  its  form  of  body  and  shape  of  tail,  the  absence  of 
a  hind  toe  to  its  foot,  its  habit  of  diving,  and  its  choice  of  situa- 
tion, make  it  at  first  doubtful  whether  its  relationship  is  not 
equally  close  with  the  auks.  It  would  undoubtedly  be  mistaken 
for  an  auk,  when  seen  from  a  distance,  either  on  the  wing,  or 
when  diving  and  quietly  swimming  about  the  retired  channels  ot 
Tferra  del  Fuego 


1835.]  CHILOE.  291 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

San  Carlos,  Chiloe—  Osorno  in  eruption,  contemporaneously  with  Aconcagua 
and  Coseguina — Ride  to  Cucao— Impenetrable  forests — Valdivia — Indians 
— Earthquake— Concepcion — Great  earthquake — Rocks  fissured — Appear- 
ance of  the  former  towns — The  sea  black  and  boiling — Direction  of  the 
vibrations — Stones  twisted  round— Great  Wave — Permanent  elevation  of 
the  land — Area  of  volcanic  phenomena — The  connexion  between  the 
elevatory  and  eruptive  forces — Cause  of  earthquakes— Slow  elevation  of 
Mountain-chains. 

CHILOE  AND  CONCEPCION  :    GREAT  EARTHQUAKE. 

ON  January  the  15th  we  sailed  from  Low's  Harbour,  and  three 
days  afterwards  anchored  a  second  time  in  the  bay  of  S.  Carlos 
in  Chiloe.  On  the  night  of  the  19th  the  volcano  of  Osorno  was 
in  action.  At  midnight  the  sentry  observed  something  like  a 
large  star,  which  gradually  increased  in  size  till  about  three 
o'clock,  when  it  presented  a  very  magnificent  spectacle.  By  the 
aid  of  a  glass,  dark  objects,  in  constant  succession,  were  seen,  in 
the  midst  of  a  great  glare  of  red  light,  to  be  thrown  up  and  to 
fall  down.  The  light  was  sufficient  to  cast  on  the  water  a  long 
bright  reflection.  Large  masses  of  molten  matter  seem  very 
commonly  to  be  cast  out  of  the  craters  in  this  part  of  the  Cor- 
dillera. I  was  assured  that  when  the  Corcovado  is  in  eruption, 
great  masses  are  projected  upwards  and  are  seen  to  burst  in  the 
air,  assuming  many  fantastical  forms,  such  as  trees :  their  size 
must  be  immense,  for  they  can  be  distinguished  from  the  high 
land  behind  S.  Carlos,  which  is  no  less  than  ninety-three  milei 
from  the  Corcovado.  In  the  -morning  the  volcano  became  tran- 
quil. 

I  was  surprised  at  hearing  afterwards  that  Aconcagua  in  Chile, 
480  miles  northwards,  was  in  action  on  this  same  night ;  and 
still  more  surprised  to  hear,  that  the  great  eruption  of  Co- 
seguina (2700  miles  north  of  Aconcagua),  accompanied  by  an 
earthquake  felt  over  a  1000  miles,  also  occurred  within  six  hours 
of  this  same  time.  This  coincidence  is  the  more  remark- 
able, as  Coseguina  had  been  dormant  for  twenty-six  years: 


292  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

and  Aconcagua  most  rarely  shows  any  signs  of  action.  It 
is  difficult  even  to  conjecture,  whether  this  coincidence  was 
accidental,  or  shows  some  subterranean  connection.  If  Vesuvius, 
Etna,  and  Hecla  in  Iceland  (all  three  relatively  nearer  each 
other,  than  the  corresponding  points  in  South  America)  suddenly 
burst  forth  in  eruption  on  the  same  night,  the  coincidence  would 
be  thought  remarkable ;  but  it  is  far  more  remarkable  in  this 
case,  where  the  three  vents  fall  on  the  same  great  mountain- 
chain,  and  where  the  vast  plains  along  the  entire  eastern  coast, 
and  the  upraised  recent  shells  along  more  than  2000  miles 
on  the  western  coast,  show  in  how  equable  and  connected  a 
manner  the  elevatory  forces  have  acted. 

Captain  Fitz  Roy  being  anxious  that  some  bearings  should  be 
taken  on  the  outer  coast  of  Chiloe,  it  was  planned  that  Mr.  King 
and  myself  should  ride  to  Castro,  and  thence  across  the  island  to 
the  Capella  de  Cucao,  situated  on  the  west  coast.  Having  hired 
horses  and  a  guide,  we  set  out  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd.  We 
had  not  proceeded  far,  before  we  were  joined  by  a  woman  and 
two  boys,  who  were  bent  on  the  same  journey.  Every  one  on 
this  road  acts  on  a  "  hail  fellow  well  met  fashion ;"  and  one 
may  here  enjoy  the  privilege,  so  rare  in  South  America,  of  tra- 
velling without  fire-arms.  At  first,  the  country  consisted  of  a 
succession  of  hills  and  valleys :  nearer  to  Castro  it  became  very 
level.  The  road  itself  is  a  curious  affair ;  it  consists  in  its  whole 
length,  with  the  exception  of  very  few  parts,  of  great  logs  of 
wood,  which  are  either  broad  and  laid  longitudinally,  or  narrow 
and  placed  transversely.  In  summer  the  road  is  not  very  bad  : 
but  in  winter,  when  the  wood  is  rendered  slippery  from  rain, 
travelling  is  exceedingly  difficult.  At  that  time  of  the  year,  the 
ground  on  each  side  becomes  a  morass,  and  is  often  overflowed : 
hence  it  is  necessary  that  the  longitudinal  logs  should  be  fastened 
down  by  transverse  poles,  which  are  pegged  on  each  side  into  the 
earth.  These  pegs  render  a  fall  from  a  horse  dangerous  ;  as  the 
chance  of  alighting  on  one  of  them  is  not  small.  It  is  remark- 
able, however,  how  active  custom  has  made  the  Chilotan  horses. 
In  crosskig  bad  parts,  where  the  logs  had  been  displaced,  they 
skipped  from  one  to  the  other,  almost  with  the  quickness  and 
certainty  of  a  dog.  On  both  hands  the  road  is  bordered  by  the 
lofty  forest-trees,  with  their  bases  matted  together  by  canes. 


1835.]  CHILOE. 


When  occasionally  a  long  reach  of  this  avenue  could  be  beheld, 
it  presented  a  curious  scene  of  uniformity :  the  white  line  of 
logs,  narrowing  in  perspective,  became  hidden  by  the  gloomy 
forest,  or  terminated  in  a  zigzag  which  ascended  some  steep  hill. 

Although  the  distance  from  S.  Carlos  to  Castro  is  only  twelve 
leagues  in  a  straight  line,  the  formation  of  the  road  must  have 
been  a  great  labour.  I  was  told  that  several  people  had  formerly 
lost  their  lives  in  attempting  to  cross  the  forest.  The  first  who 
succeeded  was  an  Indian,  who  cut  his  way  through  the  canes  in 
eight  days,  and  reached  S.  Carlos :  he  was  rewarded  by  the 
Spanish  government  with  a  grant  of  land.  During  the  summer, 
many  of  the  Indians  wander  about  the  forests  (but  chiefly  in  the 
higher  parts,  where  the  woods  are  not  quite  so  thick),  in  search 
of  tHe  half-wild  cattle  which  live  on  the  leaves  of  the  cane  and 
certain  trees.  It  was  one  of  these  huntsmen  who  by  chance  dis- 
covered, a  few  years  since,  an  English  vessel,  which  had  been 
wrecked  on  the  outer  coast.  The  crew  were  beginning  to  fail  in 
provisions,  and  it  is  not  probable  that,  without  the  aid  of  this 
man,  they  would  ever  have  extricated  themselves  from  these 
scarcely  penetrable  woods.  As  it  was,  one  seaman  died  on  the 
march,  from  fatigue.  The  Indians  in  these  excursions  steer  by 
the  sun  ;  so  that  if  there  is  a  continuance  of  cloudy  weather,  they 
cannot  travel. 

The  day  was  beautiful,  and  the  number  of  trees  which  were  in 
full  flower  perfumed  the  air;  yet  even  this  could  hardly  dis- 
sipate the  effect  of  the  gloomy  dampness  of  the  forest.  More- 
over, the  many  dead  trunks  that  stand  like  skeletons,  never  fail 
to  give  to  these  primeval  woods  a  character  of  solemnity,  absent 
in  those  of  countries  long  civilized.  Shortly  after  sunset  we  bi 
vouacked  for  the  night.  Our  female  companion,  who  was  rather 
good-looking,  belonged  to  one  of  the  most  respectable  families  in 
Castro  :  she  rode,  however,  astride,  and  without  shoes  or  stockings. 
I  was  surprised  at  the  total  want  of  pride  shown  by  her  and  her 
brother.  They  brought  food  with  them,  but  at  all  our  meals  sat 
watching  Mr.  King  and  myself  whilst  eating,  till  we  were  fairly 
shamed  into  feeding  the  whole  party.  The  night  was  cloudless ; 
and  while  lying  in  our  beds,  we  enjoyed  the  sight  (and  it  is  a 
high  enjoyment)  of  the  multitude  of  stars  which  illumined  the 
darkness  of  the  forest. 


294  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  XIT. 

January  23rd. — We  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  reached 
the  pretty  quiet  town  of  Castro  by  two  o'clock.  The  old  governor 
had  died  since  our  last  visit,  and  a  Chileno  was  acting  in  his 
place.  We  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Don  Pedro,  whom  w  e 
found  exceedingly  hospitable  and  kind,  and  more  disinterested 
than  is  usual  on  this  side  of  the  continent.  The  next  day  Don 
Pedro  procured  us  fresh  horses,  and  offered  to  accompany  us 
himself.  We  proceeded  to  the  south — generally  following  the 
coast,  and  passing  through  several  hamlets,  each  with  its  large 
barn-like  chapel  built  of  wood.  At  Vilipilli,  Don  Pedro  asked 
the  commandant  to  give  us  a  guide  to  Cucao.  The  old  gentle- 
man offered  to  come  himself;  but  for  a  long  time  nothing  would 
persuade  him,  that  two  Englishmen  really  wished  to  go  to  such 
an  out  of  the  way  place  as  Cucao.  We  were  thus  accompanied 
by  the  two  greatest  aristocrats  in  the  country,  as  was  plainly  lo 
be  seen  in  the  manner  of  all  the  poorer  Indians  towards  them. 
At  Chonchi  we  struck  across  the  island,  following  intricate 
winding  paths,  sometimes  passing  through  magnificent  forests, 
and  sometimes  through  pretty  cleared  spots,  abounding  with  corn 
and  potato  crops.  This  undulating  woody  country,  partially  cul- 
tivated, reminded  me  of  the  wilder  parts  of  England,  and  there- 
fore had  to  my  eye  a  most  fascinating  aspect.  At  Vilinco,  which 
is  situated  on  the  borders  of  the  lake  of  Cucao,  only  a  few  fields 
were  cleared ;  and  all  the  inhabitants  appeared  to  be  Indians. 
This  lake  is  twelve  miles  long,  and  runs  in  an  east  and  west 
direction.  From  local  circumstances,  the  sea-breeze  blows  very 
regularly  during  the  day,  and  during  the  night  it  falls  calm : 
this  has  given  rise  to  strange  exaggerations,  for  the  phenomenon, 
as  described  to  us  at  San  Carlos,  was  quite  a  prodigy. 

The  road  to  Cucao  was  so  very  bad  that  we  determined  to  em- 
bark in  a  periagua.  The  commandant,  in  the  most  authoritative 
manner,  ordered  six  Indians  to  get  ready  to  pull  us  over,  without 
deigning  to  tell  them  whether  they  would  be  paid.  The  periagua 
is  a  strange  rough  boat,  but  the  crew  were  still  stranger :  I  doubt 
if  six  uglier  little  men  ever  got  into  a  boat  together.  They 
pulled,  however,  very  well  and  cheerfully.  The  stroke-oarsman 
gabbled  Indian,  and  uttered  strange  cries,  much  after  the  fashion 
of  a  pig-driver  driving  his  pigs.  We  started  with  a  light  breeze 
against  us,  but  yet  reached  the  Capella  de  Cucao  before  it  was 


1835.]  RIDE    TO   CTJCAO.  295 

late.  The  country  on  each  side  of  the  lake  was  one  unbroken 
forest.  In  the  same  periagua  with  us,  a  cow  was  embarked.  To 
get  so  large  an  animal  into  a  small  boat  appears  at  first  a  diffi- 
culty, but  the  Indians  managed  it  in  a  minute.  They  brought 
the  cow  alongside  the  boat,  which  was  heeled  towards  her ;  then 
placing  two  oars  under  her  belly,  with  their  ends  resting  on  the 
gunwale,  by  the  aid  of  these  levers  they  fairly  tumbled  the  poor 
beast,  heels  over  head,  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  then 
lashed  her  down  with  ropes.  At  Cucao  we  found  an  uninhabited 
hovel  (which  is  the  residence  of  the  padre  when  he  pays  this 
Capella  a  visit),  where,  lighting  a  fire,  we  cooked  our  supper, 
and  were  very  comfortable. 

The  district  of  Cucao  is  the  only  inhabited  part  on  the  whole 
west  coast  of  Chiloe.  It  contains  about  thirty  or  forty  Indian 
families,  who  are  scattered  along  four  or  five  miles  of  the  shore. 
They  are  very  much  secluded  from  the  rest  of  Chiloe,  and  have 
scarcely  any  sort  of  commerce,  except  sometimes  in  a  little  oil, 
which  they  get  from  seal-blubber.  They  are  tolerably  dressed 
in  clothes  of  their  own  manufacture,  and  they  have  plenty  to  eat. 
They  seemed,  however,  discontented,  yet  humble  to  a  degree 
which  it  was  quite  painful  to  witness.  These  feelings  are,  I 
think,  chiefly  to  be  attributed  to  the  harsh  and  authoritative 
manner  in  which  they  are  treated  by  their  rulers.  Our  com- 
panions, although  so  very  civil  to  us,  behaved  to  the  poor  Indians 
as  if  they  had  been  slaves,  rather  than  free  men.  They  ordered 
provisions  and  the  use  of  their  horses,  without  ever  condescending 
to  say  how  much,  or  indeed  whether  the  owners  should  be  paid 
at  all.  In  the  morning,  being  left  alone  with  these  poor  people, 
we  soon  ingratiated  ourselves  by  presents  of  cigars  and  mate.  A 
lump  of  white  sugar  was  divided  between  all  present,  and  tasted 
with  the  greatest  curiosity.  The  Indians  ended  all  their  com- 
plaints by  saying,  "  And  it  is  only  because  we  are  poor  Indians, 
and  know  nothing ;  but  it  was  not  so  when  we  had  a  King." 

The  next  day  after  breakfast,  we  rode  a  few  miles  northward 
to  Punta  Huantamo.  '  The  road  lay  along  a  very  broad  beach, 
on  which,  even  after  so  many  fine  days,  a  terrible  surf  was 
breaking.  I  was  assured  that  after  a  heavy  gale,  the  roar  can 
be  heard  at  night  even  at  Castro,  a  distance  of  no  less  than 
twenty-one  sea-miles  across  a  hilly  and  wooded  country.  Wr 
20 


296  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

had  some  difficulty  in  reaching  the  point,  owing  to  the  intolerably 
bad  paths ;  for  everywhere  in  the  shade  the  ground  soon  becomes 
a  perfect  quagmire.  The  point  itself  is  a  bold  rocky  hill.  It  is 
covered  by  a  plant  allied,  I  believe,  to  Bromelia,  and  called  by 
the  inhabitants  Chepones.  In  scrambling  through  the  beds,  our 
hands  were  very  much  scratched.  I  was  amused  by  observing 
the  precaution  our  Indian  guide  took,  in  turning  up  his  trowsers, 
thinking  that  they  were  more  delicate  than  his  own  hard  skin. 
This  plant  bears  a  fruit,  in  shape  like  an  artichoke,  in  which  a 
number  of  seed-vessels  are  packed  :  these  contain  a  pleasant  sweet 
pulp,  here  much  esteemed.  I  saw  at  Low's  Harbour  the  Chilo- 
tans  making  chichi,  or  cider,  with  this  fruit :  so  true  is  it,  as 
Humboldt  remarks,  that  almost  everywhere  man  finds  means  of 
preparing  some  kind  of  beverage  from  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
The  savages,  however,  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  I  believe  of 
Australia,  have  not  advanced  thus  far  in  the  arts. 

The  coast  to  the  north  of  Punta  Huantamo  is  exceedingly 
rugged  and  broken,  and  is  fronted  by  many  breakers,  on  which 
the  sea  is  eternally  roaring.  Mr.  King  and  myself  were  anxious 
to  return,  if  it  had  been  possible,  on  foot  along  this  coast ;  but 
even  the  Indians  said  it  was  quite  impracticable.  We  were  told 
that  men  have  crossed  by  striking  directly  through  the  woods 
from  Cucao  to  S.  Carlos,  but  never  by  the  coast.  On  these 
expeditions,  the  Indians  carry  with  them  only  roasted  corn,  and 
of  this  they  eat  sparingly  twice  a  day. 

26th. — Re-embarking  in  the  periagua,  we  returned  across  the 
lake,  and  then  mounted  our  horses.  The  whole  of  Chiloe  took 
advantage  of  this  week  of  unusually  fine  weather,  to  clear  the 
ground  by  burning.  In  every  direction  volumes  of  smoke  were 
curling  upwards.  Although  the  inhabitants  were  so  assiduous 
in  setting  fire  to  every  part  of  the  wood,  yet  I  did  not  see  a  single 
fire  which  they  had  succeeded  in  making  extensive.  We  dined 
with  our  friend  the  commandant,  and  did  not  reach  Castro  till 
after  dark.  The  next  morning  we  started  very  early.  After 
having  ridden  for  some  time,  we  obtained  from  the  brow  of  a 
steep  hill  an  extensive  view  (and  it  is  a  rare  thing  on  this  road) 
of  the  great  forest.  Over  the  horizon  of  trees,  the  volcano  oi 
Corcovado,  and  the  great  flat-topped  one  to  the  north,  stood  out 
in  proud  pre-eminence :  scarcely  another  peak  in  the  long  range 


1835.]  VALDIVIA.  297 


showed  its  snowy  summit.  I  hope  it  will  be  long  before  I  forget 
this  farewell  view  of  the  magnificent  Cordillera  fronting  Chiloe. 
At  night  we  bivouacked  under  a  cloudless  sky,  and  the  next 
morning  reached  S.  Carlos.  We  arrived  on  the  right  day,  for 
before  evening  heavy  rain  commenced. 

February  4th. — Sailed  from  Chiloe.  During  the  last  week  1 
made  several  short  excursions.  One  was  to  examine  a  great  bed 
of  now-existing  shells,  elevated  350  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea :  from  among  these  shells,  large  forest-trees  were  growing. 
Another  ride  was  to  P.  Huechucucuy.  I  had  with  me  a  guide 
who  knew  the  country  far  too  well ;  for  he  would  pertinaciously 
tell  me  endless  Indian  names  for  every  little  point,  rivulet,  and 
creek.  In  the  same  manner  as  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  Indian 
language  appears  singularly  well  adapted  for  attaching  names  to 
the  most  trivial  features  of  the  land.  I  believe  every  one  was 
glad  to  say  farewell  to  Chiloe ;  yet  if  we  could  forget  the  gloom 
and  ceaseless  rain  of  winter,  Chiloe  might  pass  for  a  charming 
island.  There  is  also  something  very  attractive  in  the  simplicity 
and  humble  politeness  of  the  poor  inhabitants. 

We  steered  northward  along  shore,  but  owing  to  thick  weather 
did  not  reach  Valdivia  till  the  night  of  the  8th.  The  next 
morning  the  boat  proceeded  to  the  town,  which  is  distant  about 
ten  miles.  We  followed  the  course  of  the  river,  occasionally 
passing  a  few  hovels,  and  patches  of  ground  cleared  out  of  the 
otherwise  unbroken  forest ;  and  sometimes  meeting  a  canoe  with 
an  Indian  family.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  low  banks  of  the 
stream,  and  is  so  completely  buried  in  a  wood  of  apple-trees  that 
the  streets  are  merely  paths  in  an  orchard.  I  have  never  seen 
any  country,  where  apple-trees  appeared  to  thrive  so  well  as  in 
this  damp  part  of  South  America :  on  the  borders  of  the  roads 
there  were  many  young  trees  evidently  self-sown.  In  Chiloe 
the  inhabitants  possess  a  marvellously  short  method  of  making 
an  orchard.  At  the  lower  part  of  almost  every  branch,  small, 
conical,  brown,  wrinkled  points  project :  these  are  always  ready 
to  change  into  roots,  as  may  sometimes  be  seen,  where  any  mud 
has  been  accidentally  splashed  against  the  tree.  A  branch  as 
thick  as  a  man's  thigh  is  chosen  in  the  early  spring,  and  is  cut 
off  just  beneath  a  group  of  these  points  ;  all  the  smaller  branches 
are  lopped  off,  and  it  is  then  olaced  about  two  feet  deep  in  the 


VALDIVIA.  [CHAP.  xiv. 


ground.  During  the  ensuing  summer  the  stump  throws  out  long 
shoots,  and  sometimes  even  bears  fruit :  I  was  shown  one  which 
had  produced  as  many  as  twenty-three  apples,  but  this  was 
thought  very  unusual.  In  the  third  season  the  stump  is  changed 
(as  I  have  myself  seen)  into  a  well-wooded  tree,  loaded  with 
fruit.  An  old  man  near  Valdivia  illustrated  his  motto,  "  Ne- 
cesidad  es  la  madre  del  invencion,"  by  giving  an  account  of  the 
several  useful  things  he  manufactured  from  his  apples.  After 
making  cider,  and  likewise  wine,  he  extracted  from  the  refuse  a 
white  and  finely  flavoured  spirit ;  by  another  process  he  procured 
a  sweet  treacle,  or,  as  he  called  it,  honey.  His  children  and 
pigs  seemed  almost  to  live,  during  this  season  of  the  year,  in  his 
orchard. 

February  \\th. — I  set  out  with  a  guide  on  a  short  ride,  in 
which,  however,  I  managed  to  see  singularly  little,  either  of  the 
geology  of  the  country  or  of  its  inhabitants.  There  is  not  much 
cleared  land  near  Valdivia :  after  crossing  a  river  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  miles,  we  entered  the  forest,  and  then  passed  only  one 
miserable  hovel,  before  reaching  our  sleeping-place  for  the 
night.  The  short  difference  in  latitude,  of  150  miles,  has  given 
a  new  aspect  to  the  forest,  compared  with  that  of  Chiloe.  This 
is  owing  to  a  slightly  different  proportion  in  the  kinds  of  trees. 
The  evergreens  do  not  appear  to  be  quite  so  numerous ;  and  the 
forest  in  consequence  has  a  brighter  tint.  As  in  Chiloe,  the  lower 
parts  are  matted  together  by  canes  :  here  also  another  kind  (re- 
sembling the  bamboo  of  Brazil  and  about  twenty  feet  in  height) 
grows  in  clusters,  and  ornaments  the  banks  of  some  of  the 
streams  in  a  very  pretty  manner.  It  is  with  this  plant  that  the 
Indians  make  their  chuzos,  or  long  tapering  spears.  Our  resting- 
house  was  so  dirty  that  I  preferred  sleeping  outside :  on  these 
journeys  the  first  night  is  generally  very  uncomfortable,  because 
one  is  not  accustomed  to  the  tickling  and  biting  of  the  fleas.  I 
am  sure,  in  the  morning,  there  was  not  a  space  on  my  legs  of 
the  size  of  a  shilling,  which  had  not  its  little  red  mark  where 
the  flea  had  feasted. 

12th. — We  continued  to  ride  through  the  uncleared  forest ; 
only  occasionally  meeting  an  Indian  on  horseback,  or  a  troop  of 
fine  mules  bringing  alerce-planks  and  corn  from  the  southern 
plains.  In  the  afternoon  one  of  the  horses  knocked  up :  we 


1835.]  ARAUCARIAN   INDIANS.  299 

were  then  on  a  brow  of  a  hill,  which  commanded  a  fine  view  of 
the  Llanos.  The  view  of  these  open  plains  was  very  refreshing, 
after  being  hemmed  in  and  buried  in  the  wilderness  of  trees. 
The  uniformity  of  a  forest  soon  becomes  very  wearisome.  This 
west  coast  makes  me  remember  with  pleasure  the  free,  unbounded 
plains  of  Patagonia ;  yet,  with  the  true  spirit  of  contradiction,  I 
cannot  forget  how  sublime  is  the  silence  of  the  forest.  The 
Llanos  are  the  most  fertile  and  thickly  peopled  parts  of  the 
country  ;  as  they  possess  the  immense  advantage  of  being  nearly 
free  from  trees.  Before  leaving  the  forest  we  crossed  some  flat 
little  lawns,  around  which  single  trees  stood,  as  in  an  English 
park :  I  have  often  noticed  with  surprise,  in  wooded  undulatory 
districts,  that  the  quite  level  parts  have  been  destitute  of  trees. 
On  account  of  the  tired  horse,  I  determined  to  stop  at  the  Mission 
of  Cudico,  to  the  friar  of  which  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction. 
Cudico  is  an  intermediate  district  between  the  forest  and  the 
Llanos.  There  are  a  good  many  cottages,  with  patches  of  corn 
and  potatoes,  nearly  all  belonging  to  Indians.  The  tribes  de- 
pendent on  Valdivia  are  "  reducidos  y  cristianos."  The  Indians 
farther  northward,  about  Arauco  and  Imperial,  are  still  very 
wild,  and  not  converted;  but  they  have  all  much  intercourse 
with  the  Spaniards.  The  padre  said  that  the  Christian  Indians 
did  not  much  like  coming  to  mass,  but  that  otherwise  they  showed 
respect  for  religion.  The  greatest  difficulty  is  in  making  them 
observe  the  ceremonies  of  marriage.  The  wild  Indians  take  as 
many  wives  as  they  can  support,  and  a  cacique  will  sometimes 
have  more  than  ten :  on  entering  his  house,  the  number  may  be 
told  by  that  of  the  separate  fires.  Each  wife  lives  a  week  in  turn 
with  the  cacique ;  but  all  are  employed  in  weaving  ponchos,  dec. 
for  his  profit.  To  be  the  wife  of  a  cacique,  is  an  honour  much 
sought  after  by  the  Indian  women. 

The  men  of  all  these  tribes  wear  a  coarse  woollen  poncho : 
those  south  of  Valdivia  wear  short  trowsers,  and  those  north  of- 
it  a  petticoat,  like  the  chilipa  of  the  Gauchos.  All  have  their 
long  hair  bound  by  a  scarlet  fillet,  but  with  no  other  covering  on 
their  heads.  These  Indians  are  good-sized  men ;  their  cheek- 
hones  are  prominent,  and  in  general  appearance  they  resemble 
the  great  American  family  to  which  they  belong;  but  their 
physiognomy  seemed  to  me  to  be  slightly  different  from  that  oJ 


VALDIVIA.  [CHAP.  xiv. 


any  other  tribe  which  1  had  before  seen.  Their  expression  is 
generally  grave,  and  even  austere,  and  possesses  much  character : 
this  may  pass  either  for  honest  bluntness  or  fierce  determination. 
The  long  black  hair,  the  grave  and  much-lined  features,  and  the 
dark  complexion,  called  to  my  mind  old  portraits  of  James  I. 
On  the  road  we  met  with  none  of  that  humble  politeness  so  uni* 
versal  in  Chiloe.  Some  gave  their  "  mari-mari "  (good  morning) 
with  promptness,  but  the  greater  number  did  not  seem  inclined 
to  offer  any  salute.  This  independence  of  manners  is  probably  a 
consequence  of  their  long  wars,  and  the  repeated  victories  which 
they  alone,  of  all  the  tribes  in  America,  have  gained  over  the 
Spaniards. 

I  spent  the  evening  very  pleasantly,  talking  with  the  padre. 
He  was  exceedingly  kind  and  hospitable ;  and  coming  from 
Santiago,  had  contrived  to  surround  himself  with  some  few  com- 
forts. Being  a  man  of  some  little  education,  he  bitterly  com- 
plained of  the  total  want  of  society.  With  no  particular  zeal 
for  religion,  no  business  or  pursuit,  how  completely  must  this 
man's  life  be  wasted  !  The  next  day,  on  our  return,  we  met 
seven  very  wild-looking  Indians,  of  whom  some  were  caciques 
that  had  just  received  from  the  Chilian  government,  their  yearly 
small  stipend  for  having  long  remained  faithful.  They  were 
fine-looking  men,  and  they  rode  one  after  the  other,  with  most 
gloomy  faces.  An  old  cacique,  who  headed  them,  had  been,  I 
suppose,  more  excessively  drunk  than  the  rest,  for  he  seemed 
both  extremely  grave  and  very  crabbed.  Shortly  before  this, 
two  Indians  joined  us,  who  were  travelling  from  a  distant  mission 
to  Valdivia  concerning  some  lawsuit.  One  was  a  good-humoured 
old  man,  but  from  his  wrinkled  beardless  face  looked  more  like 
an  old  woman  than  a  man.  I  frequently  presented  both  of  them 
with  cigars ;  and  though  ready  to  receive  them,  and  I  dare  say 
grateful,  they  would  hardly  condescend  to  thank  me.  A  Chilotan 
Indian  would  have  taken  off  his  hat,  and  given  his  "  Dios  le 
page !  "  The  travelling  was  very  tedious,  both  from  the  bad- 
ness of  the  roa*ds,  and  from  the  number  of  great  fallen  trees, 
which  it  was  necessary  either  to  leap  over  or  to  avoid  by  making 
long  circuits.  We  slept  on  the  road,  and  next  morning  reached 
Valdivia,  whence  I  proceeded  on  board. 

A  few  days  afterwards  I  crossed   the  bay  with  a  party  of 


1835.]  GREAT   EARTHQUAKE.  301 

officers,  and  landed  near  the  fort  called  Isiebla.  The  buildings 
were  in  a  most  ruinous  state,  and  the  gun-carriages  quite  rotten. 
Mr.  Wickham  remarked  to  the  commanding  officer,  that  with 
one  discharge  they  would  certainly  all  fall  to  pieces.  The  poor 
man,  trying  to  put  a  good  face  upon  it,  gravely  replied,  "  No,  1 
aiii  sure,  sir,  they  would  stand  two  ! "  The  Spaniards  must  have 
intended  to  have  made  this  place  impregnable.  There  is  now 
lying  in  the  middle  of  the  courtyard  a  little  mountain  of  mortar, 
which  rivals  in  hardness  the  rock  on  which  it  is  placed.  It  was 
brought  from  Chile,  and  cost  7000  dollars.  The  revolution 
having  broken  out,  prevented  its  being  applied  to  any  purpose, 
and  now  it  remains  a  monument  of  the  fallen  greatness  of 
Spain. 

I  wanted  to  go  to  a  house  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  but 
my  guide  said  it  was  quite  impossible  to  penetrate  the  wood  in  a 
straight  line.  He  offered,  however,  to  lead  me,  by  following 
obscure  cattle-tracks,  the  shortest  way :  the  walk,  nevertheless, 
took  no  less  than  three  hours  !  This  man  is  employed  in  hunting 
strayed  cattle  ;  yet,  well  as  he  must  know  the  woods,  he  was  not 
long  since  lost  for  two  whole  days,  and  had  nothing  to  eat. 
These  facts  convey  a  good  idea  of  the  impracticability  of  the 
forests  of  these  countries.  A  question  often  occurred  to  me — 
how  long  does  any  vestige  of  a  fallen  tree  remain?  This  man 
showed  me  one  which  a  party  of  fugitive  royalists  had  cut  down 
fourteen  years  ago  ;  and  taking  this  as  a  criterion,  I  should  think 
a  bole  a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter  would  in  thirty  years  be 
changed  into  a  heap  of  mould. 

February  20th. — This  day  has  been  memorable  in  the  annals 
of  Valdivia,  for  the  most  severe  earthquake  experienced  by  the 
oldest  inhabitant.  I  happened  to  be  on  shore,  and  was  lying 
down  in  the  wood  to  rest  myself.  It  came  on  suddenly,  and 
lasted  two  minutes,  but  the  time  appeared  much  longer.  The 
rocking  of  the  ground  was  very  sensible.  The  undulations  ap- 
peared to  my  companion  and  myself  to  come  from  due  east, 
whilst  others  thought  they  proceeded  from  south-west :  this  shows 
how  difficult  it  sometimes  is  to  perceive  the  direction  of  the 
vibrations.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  standing  upright,  but  the 
motion  made  me  almost  giddy :  it  was  something  like  the  move- 
ment of  a  vessel  in  a  little  cross-ripple,  or  still  more  like  that  fell 


CONCEPCION.  [CHAP.  xrv. 


by  a  person  skating  over  thin  ice,  which  bends  under  the  weight 
of  his  body. 

A  bad  earthquake  at  once  destroys  our  oldest  associations : 
the  earth,  the  very  emblem  of  solidity,  has  moved  beneath  our 
feet  like  a  thin  crust  over  a  fluid  ; — one  second  of  time  has  created 
in  the  mind  a  strange  idea  of  insecurity,  which  hours  of  reflec- 
tion would  not  have  produced.  In  the  forest,  as  a  breeze 
moved  the  trees,  I  felt  only  the  earth  tremble,  but  saw  no  other 
effect.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  some  officers  were  at  the  town 
during  the  shock,  and  there  the  scene  was  more  striking ;  for 
although  the  houses,  from  being  built  of  wood,  did  not  fall,  they 
were  violently  shaken,  and  the  boards  creaked  and  rattled  toge- 
ther. The  people  rushed  out  of  doors  in  the  greatest  alarm.  It 
is  these  accompaniments  that  create  that  perfect  horror  of  earth- 
quakes, experienced  by  all  who  have  thus  seen,  as  well  as  felt, 
their  effects.  Within  the  forest  it  was  a  deeply  interesting,  but 
by  no  means  an  awe-exciting  phenomenon.  The  tides  were  very 
curiously  affected.  The  great  shock  took  place  at  the  time  of 
low  water ;  and  an  old  woman  who  was  on  the  beach  told  me, 
that  the  water  flowed  very  quickly,  but  not  in  great  waves,  to 
high-water  mark,  and  then  as  quickly  returned  to  its  proper 
level ;  this  was  also  evident  by  the  line  of  wet  sand.  This  same 
kind  of  quick  but  quiet  movement  in  the  tide,  happened  a  few 
years  since  at  Chiloe,  during  a  slight  earthquake,  and  created 
much  causeless  alarm.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  there  were 
many  weaker  shocks,  which  seemed  to  produce  in  the  harbour 
the  most  complicated  currents,  and  some  of  great  strength. 

March  4th. — We  entered  the  harbour  of  Concepcion.  While 
the  ship  was  beating  up  to  the  anchorage,  I  landed  on  the  island 
of  Quiriquina.  The  mayor-domo  of  the  estate  quickly  rode 
down  to  tell  me  the  terrible  news  of  the  great  earthquake  of  the 
20th : — "  That  not  a  house  in  Concepcion  or  Talcahuano  (the 
port)  was  standing  ;  that  severity  villages  were  destroyed  ;  and 
that  a  great  wave  had  almost  washed  away  the  ruins  of  Talca- 
huano." Of  this  latter  statement  I  soon  saw  abundant  proofs — 
the  whole  coast  being  strewed  over  with  timber  and  furniture  as 
if  a  thousand  ships  had  been  wrecked.  Besides  chairs,  tables, 
book-shelves,  &c.,  in  great  numbers,  there  were  several  roofs  of 


1835.]  EFFECTS   OF   THE   EARTHQUAKE.  803 

cottages,  which  had  been  transported  almost  whole.  The  store- 
houses at  Talcahuano  had  been  burst  open,  and  great  bags  of 
cotton,  yerba,  and  other  valuable  merchandise  were  scattered  on 
the  shore.  During  my  walk  round  the  island,  I  observed  that 
numerous  fragments  of  rock,  which,  from  the  marine  productions 
adhering  to  them,  must  recently  have  been  lying  in  deep  waterr 
had  been  cast  up  high  on  the  beach ;  one  of  these  was  six  feet 
long,  three  broad,  and  two  thick. 

The  island  itself  as  plainly  showed  the  overwhelming  power  of 
the  earthquake,  as  the  beach  did  that  of  the  consequent  great 
wave.  The  ground  in  many  parts  was  fissured  in  north  and 
south  lines,  perhaps  caused  by  the  yielding  of  the  parallel  and 
steep  sides  of  this  narrow  island.  Some  of  the  fissures  near  the 
cliffs  were  a  yard  wide.  Many  enormous  masses  had  already 
fallen  on  the  beach  ;  and  the  inhabitants  thought  that  when  the 
rains  commenced  far  greater  slips  would  happen.  The  effect  of 
the  vibration  on  the  hard  primary  slate,  which  composes  the 
foundation  of  the  island,  was  still  more  curious :  the  superficial 
parts  of  some  narrow  ridges  were  as  completely  shivered  as  if 
they  had  been  blasted  by  gunpowder.  This  effect,  which  was 
rendered  conspicuous  by  the  fresh  fractures  and  displaced  soil, 
must  be  confined  to  near  the  surface,  for  otherwise  there  would 
not  exist  a  block  of  solid  rock  throughout  Chile ;  nor  is  this  im- 
probable, as  it  is  known  that  the  surface  of  a  vibrating  body  is 
affected  differently  from  the  central  part.  It  is,  perhaps,  owing 
to  this  same  reason,  that  earthquakes  do  not  cause  quite  such 
terrific  havoc  within  deep  mines  as  would  be  expected.  I  believe 
this  convulsion  has  been  more  effectual  in  lessening  the  size  of  the 
island  of  Quiriquina,  than  the  ordinary  wear-and-tear  of  the  sea 
and  weather  during  the  course  of  a  whole  century. 

The  next  day  I  landed  at  Talcahuano,  and  afterwards  rode  to 
Concepcion.  Both  towns  presented  the  most  awful  yet  interest- 
ing spectacle  I  ever  beheld.  To  a  person  who  had  formerly 
known  them,  it  possibly  might  have  been  still  more  impressive; 
for  the  ruins  were  so  mingled  together,  and  the  whole  scene  pos-1 
sessed  so  little  the  air  of  a  habitable  place,  that  it  was  scarcely 
possible  to  imagine  its  former  condition.  The  earthquake  com- 
menced at  half-past  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  If  it  had 
happened  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  the  greater  number  of  the 


304  CONCEPCIOX.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

inhabitants  (which  in  this  one  province  amount  to  many  thou- 
sands) must  have  perished,  instead  of  less  than  a  hundred  :  as  it 
was,  the  invariable  practice  of  running  out  of  doors  at  the  first 
trembling  of  the  ground,  alone  saved  them.  In  Concepcion 
each  house,  or  row  of  houses,  stood  by  itself,  a  heap  or  line  of 
ruins ;  but  in  Talcahuano,  owing  to  the  great  wave,  little  more 
than  one  layer  of  bricks,  tiles,  and  timber,  with  here  and  there 
part  of  a  wall  left  standing,  could  be  distinguished.  From  this 
circumstance  Concepcion,  although  not  so  completely  desolated. 
was  a  more  terrible,  and,  if  I  nvay  so  call  it,  picturesque  sight. 
The  first  shock  was  very  sudden.  The  mayor-domo  at  Quiri- 
quina  told  me,  that  the  first  notice  he  received  of  it,  was  finding 
both  the  horse  he  rode  and  himself,  rolling  together  on  the  ground. 
Rising  up,  he  was  again  thrown  down.  He  also  told  me  that 
some  cows  which  were  standing  on  the  steep  side  of  the  island 
were  rolled  into  the  sea.  The  great  wave  caused  the  destruc- 
tion of  many  cattle ;  on  one  low  island,  near  the  head  of  the 
bay,  seventy  animals  were  washed  off  and  drowned.  It  is  gene- 
rally thought  that  this  has  been  the  worst  earthquake  ever  re- 
corded in  Chile ;  but  as  the  very  severe  ones  occur  only  after  long 
intervals,  this  cannot  easily  be  known  ;  nor  indeed  would  a  much 
worse  shock  have  made  any  great  difference,  for  the  ruin  was 
now  complete.  Innumerable  small  tremblings  followed  the  great 
earthquake,  and  within  the  first  twelve  days  no  less  than  three 
hundred  were  counted. 

After  viewing  Concepcion,  I  cannot  understand  how  the  greater 
number  of  inhabitants  escaped  unhurt.  The  houses  in  many 
parts  fell  outwards ;  thus  forming  in  the  middle  of  the  streets 
little  hillocks  of  brickwork  and  rubbish.  Mr.  Rouse,  the  English 
consul,  told  us  that  he  was  at  breakfast  when  the  first  movement 
warned  him  to  run  out.  He  had  scarcely  reached  the  middle  of 
the  court-yard,  when  one  side  of  his  house  came  thundering  down. 
lie  retained  presence  of  mind  to  remember,  that  if  he  once  got 
on  the  top  of  that  part  which  had  already  fallen,  he  would  be 
safe.  Not  being  able  from  the  motion  of  the  ground  to  stand, 
he  crawled  up  on  his  hands  and  knees ;  and  no  sooner  had  he 
ascended  this  little  eminence,  than  the  other  side  of  the  house 
fell  in,  the  great  beams  sweeping  close  in  front  of  his  head. 
With  his  eyes  blinded,  and  his  mouth  choked  with  the  cloud  oi 


1835.]  GREAT    WAVE.  305 

dust  which  darkened  the  sky,  at  last  he  gained  the  street.  As 
shock  succeeded  shock,  at  the  interval  of  a  few  minutes,  no  one 
dared  approach  the  shattered  ruins ;  and  no  one  knew  whether 
his  dearest  friends  and  relations  were  not  perishing  from  the  want 
of  help.  Those  who  had  saved  any  property  were  obliged  to  keep 
a  constant  watch,  for  thieves  prowled  about,  and  at  each  little 
trembling  of  the  ground,  with  one  hand  they  beat  their  breasts 
and  cried  "  misericordia  !"  and  then  with  the  other  filched  what 
they  could  from  the  ruins.  The  thatched  roofs  fell  over  the  fires, 
and  flames  burst  forth  in  all  parts.  Hundreds  knew  themselves 
ruined,  and  few  had  the  means  of  providing  food  for  the  day. 

Earthquakes  alone  are  sufficient  to  destroy  the  prosperity  of 
any  country.  If  beneath  England  the  now  inert  subterranean 
forces  should  exert  those  powers,  which  most  assuredly  in  former 
geological  ages  they  have  exerted,  how  completely  would  the 
entire  condition  of  the  country  be  changed  !  What  would  be- 
come of  the  lofty  houses,  thickly  packed  cities,  great  manufac- 
tories, the  beautiful  public  and  private  edifices  ?  If  the  new 
period  of  disturbance  were  first  to  commence  by  some  great 
earthquake  in  the  dead  of  the  night,  how  terrific  would  be  the 
carnage !  England  would  at  once  be  bankrupt ;  all  papers, 
records,  and  accounts  would  from  that  moment  be  lost. 
Government  being  unable  to  collect  the  taxes,  and  failing  to 
maintain  its  authority,  the  hand  of  violence  and  rapine  would 
remain  uncontrolled.  In  every  large  town  famine  would  go 
forth,  pestilence  and  death  following  in  its  train. 

Shortly  after  the  shock,  a  great  wave  was  seen  from  the  dis- 
tance of  three  or  four  miles,  approaching  in  the  middle  of  the  bay 
with  a  smooth  outline ;  but  along  the  shore  it  tore  up  cottages 
and  trees,  as  it  swept  onwards  with  irresistible  force.  At  the 
head  of  the  bay  it  broke  in  a  fearful  line  of  white  breakers,  which 
rushed  up  to  a  height  of  23  vertical  feet  above  the  highest  spring- 
tides. Their  force  must  have  been  prodigious ;  for  at  the  Fort  a 
cannon  with  its  carriage,  estimated  at  four  tons  in  weight,  was 
moved  15  feet  inwards.  A  schooner  was  left  in  the  midst  of  the 
ruins,  200  yards  from  the  beach.  The  first  wave  was  followed 
by  two  others,  which  in  their  retreat  carried  away  a  vast  wreck 
of  floating  objects.  In  one  part  of  the  bay,  a  ship  was  pitched 
high  and  dry  on  shore,  was  carried  off,  again  driven  on  shore, 


806  CONCEPCION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

and  again  carried  off.  In  another  part,  two  large  vessels 
anchored  near  together  were  whirled  about,  and  their  cables 
were  thrice  wound  round  each  other :  though  anchored  at  a  depth 
of  36  feet,  they  were  for  some  minutes  aground.  The  great  wave 
must  have  travelled  slowly,  for  the  inhabitants  of  Talcahuano 
had  time  to  run  up  the  hills  behind  the  town ;  and  some  sailors 
pulled  out  seaward,  trusting  successfully  to  their  boat  riding 
securely  over  the  swell,  if  they  could  reach  it  before  it  broke. 
One  old  woman  with  a  little  boy,  four  or  five  years  old,  ran  into 
a  boat,  but  there  was  nobody  to  row  it  out :  the  boat  was  con- 
sequently dashed  against  an  anchor  and  cut  in  twain ;  the  old 
woman  was  drowned,  but  the  child  was  picked  up  some  hours 
afterwards  clinging  to  the  wreck.  Pools  of  salt-water  were  still 
standing  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  houses,  and  children,  making 
boats  with  old  tables  and  chairs,  appeared  as  happy  as  their 
parents  were  miserable.  It  was,  however,  exceedingly  interest- 
ing to  observe,  how  much  more  active  and  cheerful  all  appeared 
than  could  have  been  expected.  It  was  remarked  with  much 
truth,  that  from  the  destruction  being  universal,  no  one  indi- 
vidual was  humbled  more  than  another,  or  could  suspect  his 
friends  of  coldness — that  most  grievous  result  of  the  loss  of 
wealth.  Mr.  Rouse,  and  a  large  party  whom  he  kindly  took 
under  his  protection,  lived  for  the  first  week  in  a  garden  beneath 
some  apple-trees.  At  first  they  were  as  merry  as  if  it  had  been 
a  picnic  ;  but  soon  afterwards  heavy  rain  caused  much  discom- 
fort, for  they  were  absolutely  without  shelter. 

In  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  excellent  account  of  the  earthquake,  it 
is  said  that  two  explosions,  one  like  a  column  of  smoke  and 
another  like  the  blowing  of  a  great  whale,  were  seen  in  the  bay. 
The  water  also  appeared  every  where  to  be  boiling  ;  and  it  "  be- 
came black,  and  exhaled  a  most  disagreeable  sulphureous  smell." 
These  latter  circumstances  were  observed  in  the  Bay  of  Val- 
paraiso during  the  earthquake  of  1822 ;  they  may,  I  think,  be 
accounted  for,  by  the  disturbance  of  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  containing  organic  matter  in  decay.  In  the  Bay  of  Callao, 
during  a  calm  day,  I  noticed,  that  as  the  ship  dragged  her  cable 
over  the  bottom,  its  course  was  marked  by  a  line  of  bubbles. 
The  lower  orders  in  Talcahuano  thought  that  the  earthquake  was 
caused  "by  some  old  Indian  women,  who  two  years  ago  being 


1835.]  LINES  OF  VIBRATION.  307 

offended  stopped  the  volcano  of  Antuco.  This  silly  belief  is 
curious,  because  it  shows  that  experience  has  taught  them  to 
observe,  that  there  exists  a  relation  between  the  suppressed  action 
of  the  volcanos,  and  the  trembling  of  the  ground.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  apply  the  witchcraft  to  the  point  where  their  perception 
of  cause  and  effect  failed  ;  and  this  was  the  closing  of  the  volcanic 
vent.  This  belief  is  the  more  singular  in  this  particular  instance, 
because,  according  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  Antuco  was  noways  affected. 

The  town  of  Concepcion  was  built  in  the  usual  Spanish 
fashion,  with  all  the  streets  running  at  right  angles  to  each  other  ; 
one  set  ranging  S.W.  by  W.,  and  the  other  set  N.W.  by  N. 
The  walls  in  the  former  direction  certainly  stood  better  than 
those  in  the  latter  :  the  greater  number  of  the  masses  of  brick- 
work were  thrown  down  towards  the  N.E.  Both  these  cir- 
cumstances perfectly  agree  with  the  general  idea,  of  the  undula- 
tions having  come  from  the  S.W. ;  in  which  quarter  subterranean 
noises  were  also  heard  :  for  it  is  evjdent  that  the  walls  running 
S.W.  and  N.E.  which  presented  their  ends  to  the  point  whence 
the  undulations  came,  would  be  much  less  likely  to  fall  than 
those  walls  which,  running  N.W.  and  S.E.,  must  in  their  whole 
lengths  have  been  at  the  same  instant  thrown  out  of  the  per- 
pendicular ;  for  the  undulations,  coming  from  the  S.W.,  must 
have  extended  in  N.W.  and  S.E.  waves,  as  they  passed  under  the 
foundations.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  placing  books  edgeways 
on  a  carpet,  and  then,  after  the  manner  suggested  by  Michell, 
imitating  the  undulations  of  an  earthquake :  it  will  be  found  that 
they  fall  with  more  or  less  readiness,  according  as  their  direction 
more  or  less  nearly  coincides  with  the  line  of  the  waves.  The 
fissures  in  the  ground  generally,  though  not  uniformly,  extended 
in  a  S.E.  and  N.W.  direction  ;  and  therefore  corresponded  to  the 
lines  of  undulation  or  of  principal  flexure.  Bearing  in  mind  all 
these  circumstances,  which  so  clearly  point  to  the  S.W.  as  the 
chief  focus  of  disturbance,  it  is  a  very  interesting  fact  that  the 
island  of  S.  Maria,  situated  in  that  quarter,  was,  during  the 
general  uplifting  of  the  land,  raised  to  nearly  three  times  the 
height  of  any  other  part  of  the  coast. 

The  different  resistance  offered  by  the  walls,  according  to  their 
direction,  was  well  exemplified  in  the  case  of  the  Cathedral 


COXCEPCION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 


The  side  which  fronted  the  N.E.  presented  a  grand  pile  of  ruins, 
in  the  midst  of  which  door-cases  and  masses  of  timber  stood  up, 
as  if  floating1  in  a  stream.  Some  of  the  angular  blocks  of  brick- 
work were  of  great  dimensions  ;  and  they  were  rolled  to  a  distance 
on  the  level  plaza,  like  fragments  of  rock  at  the  base  of  some 
high  mountain.  The  side  walls  (running  S.W.  and  N.E.), 
though  exceedingly  fractured,  yet  remained  standing ;  but  the 
vast  buttresses  (at  right  angles  to  them,  and  therefore  parallel  to 
the  walls  that  fell)  were  in  many  cases  cut  clean  off,  as  if  by  a 
chisel,  and  hurled  to  the  ground.  Some  square  ornaments  on  the 
coping  of  these  same  walls,  were  moved  by  the  earthquake  into  a 
diagonal  position.  A  similar  circumstance  was  observed  after 
an  earthquake  at  Valparaiso,  Calabria,  and  other  places,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  ancient  Greek  temples.*  This  twisting  dis- 
placement, at  first  appears  to  indicate  a  vorticose  movement 
beneath  each  point  thus  affected  ;  but  this  is  highly  improbable. 
May  it  not  be  caused  by  a  tendency  in  each  stone  to  arrange 
itself  in  some  particular  position,  with  respect  to  the  lines  of 
vibration, — in  a  manner  somewhat  similar  to  pins  on  a  sheet  of 
paper  when  shaken  ?  Generally  speaking,  arched  doorways  or 
windows  stood  much  better  than  any  other  part  of  the  buildings. 
Nevertheless,  a  poor  lame  old  man,  who  had  been  in  the  habit, 
during  trifling  shocks,  of  ciawling  to  a  certain  doorway,  was 
tliis  time  crushed  to  pieces. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  give  any  detailed  description  of  the 
appearance  of  Concepcion,  for  I  feel  that  it  is  quite  impossible 
to  convey  the  mingled  feelings  which  I  experienced.  Several  of 
the  officers  visited  it  before  me,  but  their  strongest  language 
failed  to  give  a  just  idea  of  the  scene  of  desolation.  It  is  a 
bitter  and  humiliating  thing  to  see  works,  which  have  cost  man 
so  much  time  and  labour,  overthrown  in  one  minute ;  yet  com- 
passion for  the  inhabitants  was  almost  instantly  banished,  by  the 
surprise  in  seeing  a  state  of  things  produced  in  a  moment  of 
time,  which  one  was  accustomed  to  attribute  to  a  succession  of 
ages.  In  my  opinion,  we  have  scarcely  beheld,  since  leaving 
England,  any  sight  so  deeply  interesting. 

In  almost  every  severe  earthquake,  the  neighbouring  waters 


*  M.  Arago  in  L'Institut,  1839,  p.  337.    See  also  Miers's  Chile,  vol.  i 
o  Ly  ell's  Principles  of  Geology,  chap,  xv.,  book  ii. 


D.  392 ;  also 


1835.1  CAUSE   OF  GREAT   WAVE.  309 


of  the  sea  are  said  to  have  been  greatly  agitated.  The  disturb- 
ance seems  generally,  as  in  the  case  of  Concepcion,  to  have  been 
of  two  kinds :  first,  at  the  instant  of  the  shock,  the  water  swells 
high  up  on  the  beach  with  a  gentle  motion,  and  then  as  quietly 
retreats ;  secondly,  some  time  afterwards,  the  whole  body  of  the 
sea  retires  from  the  coast,  and  then  returns  in  waves  of  over- 
whelming force.  The  first  movement  seems  to  be  an  imme- 
diate consequence  of  the  earthquake  affecting  differently  a  fluid 
and  a  solid,  so  that  their  respective  levels  are  slightly  de- 
ranged :  but  the  second  case  is  a  far  more  important  phenome- 
non. During  most  earthquakes,  and  especially  during  those  on 
the  west  coast  of  America,  it  is  certain  that  the  first  great  move- 
ment of  the  waters  has  been  a  retirement.  Some  authors  have 
attempted  to  explain  this,  by  supposing  that  the  water  retains  its 
level,  whilst  the  land  oscillates  upwards ;  but  surely  the  water 
close  to  the  land,  even  on  a  rather  steep  coast,  would  partake  of 
the  motion  of  the  bottom :  moreover,  as  urged  by  Mr.  Lyell, 
similar  movements  of  the  sea  have  occurred  at  islands  far  distant 
from  the  chief  line  of  disturbance,  as  was  the  case  with  Juan 
Fernandez  during  this  earthquake,  and  with  Madeira  during  the 
famous  Lisbon  shock.  I  suspect  (but  the  subject  is  a  very  ob- 
scure one)  that  a  wave,  however  produced,  first  draws  the  water 
from  the  shore,  on  which  it  is  advancing  to  break :  I  have  ob- 
served that  this  happens  with  the  little  waves  from  the  paddles 
of  a  steam-boat.  It  is  remarkable  that  whilst  Tulcahuano  and 
Callao  (near  Lima),  both  situated  at  the  head  of  large  shallow 
bays,  have  suffered  during  every  severe  earthquake  from  great 
waves,  Valparaiso,  seated  close  to  the  edge  of  profoundly  deep 
water,  has  never  been  overwhelmed,  though  so  often  shaken  by 
the  severest  shocks.  From  the  great  wave  not  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  earthquake,  but  sometimes  after  the  interval  of  even 
half  an  hour,  and  from  distant  islands  being  affected  similarly 
with  the  coasts  near  the  focus  of  the  disturbance,  it  appears  that 
the  wave  first  rises  in  the  offing ;  and  as  this  is  of  general  occur- 
rence, the  cause  must  be  general :  I  suspect  we  must  look  to  the 
line,  where  the  less  disturbed  waters  of  the  deep  ocean  join  the 
water  nearer  the  coast,  which  has  partaken  of  the  movements  of 
the  land,  as  the  place  where  the  great  wave  is  first  generated  ;  it 
would  also  appear  that  the  wave  is  larger  or  smaller,  according 


810  CONNEXION   OF  THE   ELEVATOEY.         [CHAP.  xiv. 

to  the  extent  of  shoal  water  which  has  been  agitated  together 
with  the  bottom  on  which  it  rested. 

The  most  remarkable  effect  of  this  earthquake  was  the  perma- 
nent elevation  of  the  land ;  it  would  probably  be  far  more  cor- 
rect to  speak  of  it  as  the  cause.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
land  round  the  Bay  of  Concepcion  was  upraised  two  or  three  feet ; 
bu*  it  deserves  notice,  that  owing  to  the  wave  having  oblite- 
rated the  old  lines  of  tidal  action  on  the  sloping  sandy  shores,  I 
could  discover  no  evidence  of  this  fact,  except  in  the  united  tes- 
timony of  the  inhabitants,  that  one  little  rocky  shoal,  now  ex- 
posed, was  formerly  covered  with  water.  At  the  island  of  S. 
Maria  (about  thirty  miles  distant)  the  elevation  was  greater ;  on 
one  part,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  found  beds  of  putrid  mussel-shells 
still  adhering  to  the  rocks,  ten  feet  above  high-water  mark :  the 
inhabitants  had  formerly  dived  at  low-water  spring-tides  for  these 
shells.  The  elevation  of  this  province  is  particularly  interesting, 
from  its  having  been  the  theatre  of  several  other  violent  earth- 
quakes, and  from  the  vast  numbers  of  sea-shells  scattered  over 
the  land,  up  to  a  height  of  certainly  600,  and  I  believe,  of  1000 
feet.  At  Valparaiso,  as  I  have  remarked,  similar  shells  are 
found  at  the  height  of  1300  feet:  it  is  hardly  possible  to  doubt 
that  this  great  elevation  has  been  effected  by  successive  small 
uprisings,  such  as  that  which  accompanied  or  caused  the  earth- 
quake of  this  year,  and  likewise  by  an  insensibly  slow  rise,  which 
is  certainly  in  progress  on  some  parts  of  this  coast. 

The  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  360  miles  to  the  N.E.,  was,  at 
the  time  of  the  great  shock  of  the  20th,  violently  shaken,  so  that 
the  trees  beat  against  each  other,  and  a  volcano  burst  forth  under 
water  close  to  the  shore :  these  facts  are  remarkable  because  this 
island,  during  the  earthquake  of  1751,  was  then  also  affected  more 
violently  than  other  places  at  an  equal  distance  from  Concepcion, 
and  this  seems  to  show  some  subterranean  connection  between 
these  two  points.  Chiloe,  about  340  miles  southward  of  Con- 
cepcion, appears  to  have  been  shaken  more  strongly  than  the  inter- 
mediate district  of  Valdivia,  where  the  volcano  of  Villarica  was 
noways  affected,  whilst  in  the  Cordillera  in  front  of  Chiloe,  two 
of  th3  volcanos  burst  forth  at  the  same  instant  in  violent  action. 
These  two  volcanos,  and  some  neighbouring  ones,  continued  foi 


1835.]  AND   ERUPTIVE   FORCES.  311 

a  long  time  in  eruption,  and  ten  months  afterwards  were  again 
influenced  by  an  earthquake  at  Concepcion.  Some  men,  cutting 
wood  near  the  base  of  one  of  these  volcanos,  did  not  perceive  the 
shock  of  the  20th,  although  the  whole  surrounding  Province  was 
then  trembling ;  here  we  have  an  eruption  relieving  and  taking 
the  place  of  an  earthquake,  as  would  have  happened  at  Con- 
cepcion, according  to  the  belief  of  the  lower  orders,  if  tht 
volcano  of  Antuco  had  not  been  closed  by  witchcraft.  Two 
years  and  three  quarters  afterwards,  Valdivia  and  Chiloe  were 
again  shaken,  more  violently  than  on  the  20th,  and  an  island  in 
the  Chonos  Archipelago  was  permanently  elevated  more  than 
eight  feet.  It  will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  scale  of  these  phe- 
nomena, if  (as  in  the  case  of  the  glaciers)  we  suppose  them  to 
have  taken  place  at  corresponding  distances  in  Europe:— then 
would  the  land  from  the  North  Sea  to  the  Mediterranean  have 
been  violently  shaken,  and  at  the  same  instant  of  time  a  large 
tract  of  the  eastern  coast  of  England  would  have  been  perma- 
nently elevated,  together  with  some  outlying  islands, — a  train  ol 
volcanos  on  the  coast  of  Holland  would  have  burst  forth  in 
action,  and  an  eruption  taken  place  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  near 
the  northern  extremity  of  Ireland — and  lastly,  the  ancient  vents 
of  Auvergne,  Cantal,  and  Mont  d'Or  would  each  have  sent  up 
to  the  sky  a  dark  column  of  smoke,  and  have  long  remained  in 
fierce  action.  Two  years  and  three  quarters  afterwards,  France, 
from  its  centre  to  the  English  Channel,  would  have  been  again 
desolated  by  an  earthquake,  and  an  island  permanently  upraised 
in  the  Mediterranean. 

The  space,  from  under  which  volcanic  matter  on  the  20th  was 
actually  erupted,  is  720  miles  in  one  line,  and  400  miles  in  another 
line  at  right  angles  to  the  first :  hence,  in  all  probability,  a  sub- 
terranean lake  of  lava  is  here  stretched  out,  of  nearly  double  the 
area  of  the  Black  Sea.  From  the  intimate  and  complicated  man- 
ner  in  which  the  elevatory  and  eruptive  forces  were  shown  to  be 
connected  during  this  train  of  phenomena,  we  may  confidently 
come  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  forces  which  slowly  and  by  little 
starts  uplift  continents,  and  those  which  at  successive  periods 
pour  forth  volcanic  matter  from  open  orifices,  are  identical. 
From  many  reasons,  I  believe  that  the  frequent  quakings  of  the 
earth  on  this  line  of  coast  are  caused  by  the  rending  of  the  strata 
21 


312  CONCEPCION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

necessarily  consequent  on  the  tension  of  the  land  when  upraised, 
and  their  injection  by  fluidified  rock.  This  rending  and  injec- 
tion would,  if  repeated  often  enough  (and  we  know  that  earth- 
quakes  repeatedly  affect  the  same  areas  in  the  same  manner),  form 
a  chain  of  hills ; — and  the  linear  island  of  St.  Mary,  which  was 
upraised  thrice  the  height  of  the  neighbouring  country,  seems  to 
be  undergoing  this  process.  I  believe  that  the  solid  axis  of  a 
mountain,  differs  in  its  manner  of  formation  from  a  volcanic  hill, 
only  in  the  molten  stone  having  been  repeatedly  injected,  instead 
of  having  been  repeatedly  ejected.  Moreover,  I  believe  that  it 
is  impossible  to  explain  the  structure  of  great  mountain-chains, 
such  as  that  of  the  Cordillera,  where  the  strata,  capping  the-  in- 
jected axis  of  plutonic  rock,  have  been  thrown  on  their  edges 
along  several  parallel  and  neighbouring  lines  of  elevation,  except 
on  this  view  of  the  rock  of  the  axis  having  been  repeatedly  in- 
jected, after  intervals  sufficiently  long  to  allow  the  upper  parts 
or  wedges  to  cool  and  become  solid  ; — for  if  the  strata  had  been 
thrown  into  their  present  highly-inclined,  vertical,  and  even  in- 
verted positions,  by  a  single  blow,  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth 
would  have  gushed  out ;  and  instead  of  beholding  abrupt 
mountain-axes  of  rock  solidified  under  great  pressure,  deluges  of 
lava  would  have  flowed  out  at  innumerable  points  on  every  line 
of  elevation.* 

*  For  a  full  account  of  the  volcanic  phenomena  which  accompanied  the 
earthquake  of  the  20th,  and  for  the  conclusions  deducible  from  them,  I  must 
refer  to  Volume  V.  of  the  Geological  Transactions. 


1835.]  PASSAGE   OF   THE   CORDILLERA.  313 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Valparaiso — Portillo  pass — Sagacity  of  mules — Mountain-torrents — Mines 
how  discovered — Proofs  of  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  Cordillera — Effect 
of  snow  on  rocks — Geological  structure  of  the  two  main  ranges,  their 
distinct  origin  and  upheaval — Great  subsidence — Red  snow — Winds — 
Pinnacles  of  snow — Dry  and  clear  atmosphere — Electricity — Pampas — 
Zoology  of  the  opposite  sides  of  the  Andes — Locusts — Great  Bugs — 
Mendoza — Uspallata  Pass — Silicified  trees  buried  as  they  grew — Incas 
Bridge — Badness  of  the  passes  exaggerated — Cumbrc— Casuchas — Val- 
paraiso. 

PASSAGE  OF  THE  CORDILLERA. 

March  7th,  1835. — We  stayed  three  days  at  Conception,  and 
then  sailed  for  Valparaiso.  The  wind  being  northerly,  we  only 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  harbour  of  Concepcion  before  it  was 
dark.  Being  very  near  the  land,  and  a  fog  coming  on,  the 
anchor  was  dropped.  Presently  a  large  American  whaler  ap- 
peared close  alongside  of  us ;  and  we  heard  the  Yankee  swearing 
at  his  men  to  keep  quiet,  whilst  he  listened  for  the  breakers. 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  hailed  him,  in  a  loud  clear  voice,  to  anchor 
where  he  then  was.  The  poor  man  must  have  thought  the  voice 
came  from  the  shore :  such  a  Babel  of  cries  issued  at  once  from 
the  ship — every  one  hallooing  out,  "  Let  go  the  anchor !  veer 
cable  !  shorten  sail !  "  It  was  the  most  laughable  thing  I  ever 
heard.  If  the  ship's  crew  had  been  all  captains,  and  no  men, 
there  could  not  have  been  a  greater  uproar  of  orders.  We  after- 
wards found  that  the  mate  stuttered :  I  suppose  all  hands  were 
assisting  him  in  giving  his  orders. 

On  the  llth  we  anchored  at  Valparaiso,  and  two  days  after- 
wards I  set  out  to  cross  the  Cordillera.  I  proceeded  to  Santiago, 
where  Mr.  Caldcleugh  most  kindly  assisted  me  in  every  possible 
way  in  making  the  little  preparations  which  were  necessary.  In 
this  part  of  Chile  there  are  two  passes  across  the  Andes  to  Men- 
doza :  the  one  most  commonly  used — namely,  that  of  Aconcagua 
or  Uspallata— is  situated  some  way  to  the  north  ;  the  other,  called 


314  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

Che  Portillo,  is  to  the  south,  and  nearer,  but  more  lofty  and 
dangerous. 

March  18th. — We  set  out  for  the  Portillo  pass.  Leaving 
Santiago  we  crossed  the  wide  burnt-up  plain  on  which  that  city 
stands,  and  in  the  afternoon  arrived  at  the  Maypu,  one  of  the 
principal  rivers  in  Chile.  The  valley,  at  the  point  where  it 
enters  the  first  Cordillera,  is  bounded  on  each  side  by  lofty  barren 
mountains ;  and  although  not  broad,  it  is  very  fertile.  Numerous 
cottages  were  surrounded  by  vines,  and  by  orchards  of  apple, 
nectarine,  and  peach  trees — their  boughs  breaking  with  the 
weight  of  the  beautiful  ripe  fruit.  In  the  evening  we  passed  the 
custom-house,  where  our  luggage  was  examined.  The  frontier 
of  Chile  is  better  guarded  by  the  Cordillera,  than  by  the  waters 
ctf  the  sea.  There  are  very  few  valleys  which  lead  to  the  centra] 
ranges,  and  the  mountains  are  quite  impassable  in  other  parts  by 
beasts  of  burden.  The  custom-house  officers  were  very  civil, 
which  was  perhaps  partly  owing  to  the  passport  which  the  Pre- 
sident of  the  Republic  had  given  me ;  but  I  must  express  my 
admiration  at  the  natural  politeness  of  almost  every  Chileno.  In 
this  instance,  the  contrast  with  the  same  class  of  men  in  most 
other  countries  was  strongly  marked.  I  may  mention  an  anec- 
dote with  which  I  was  at  the  time  much  pleased :  we  met  near 
Mendoza  a  little  and  very  fat  negress,  riding  astride  on  a  mule. 
She  had  a  goitre  so  enormous  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to 
avoid  gazing  at  her  for  a  moment ;  but  my  two  companions  almost 
instantly,  by  way  of  apology,  made  the  common  salute  of  the 
country  by  taking  off  their  hats.  Where  would  one  of  the  lower 
or  higher  classes  in  Europe,  have  shown  such  feeling  politeness 
to  a  poor  and  miserable  object  of  a  degraded  race  ? 

At  night  we  slept  at  a  cottage.  Our  manner  of  travelling  was 
delightfully  independent.  In  the  inhabited  parts  we  bought  a 
little  firewood,  hired  pasture  for  the  animals,  and  bivouacked  in 
the  corner  of  the  same  field  with  them.  Carrying  an  iron  pot, 
we  cooked  and  ate  our  supper  under  a  cloudless  sky,  and  knew 
no  trouble.  My  companions  were  Mariano  Gonzales,  who  had 
formerly  accompanied  me  in  Chile,  and  an  "  arriero,"  with  his 
ten  mules  and  a  "  madrina."  The  madrina  (or  godmother)  is  a 
most  important  personage ;  she  is  an  old  steady  mare,  with  a 
little  bell  round  her  neck ;  and  wherever  she  goes,  the  mules 


1835.]  TERRACES   OF   SHINGLE.  315 

like  good  children,  follow  her.  The  affection  of  these  animals 
for  their  madrinas  saves  infinite  trouble.  If  several  large  troops 
are  turned  into  one  field  to  graze,  jri  the  morning  the  muleteers 
have  only  to  lead  the  madrinas  a  little  apart,  and  tinkle  their 
bells ;  and  although  there  may  be  two  or  three  hundred  together, 
each  mule  immediately  knows  the  bell  of  its  own  madrina,  and 
comes  to  her.  It  is  nearly  impossible  to  lose  an  old  mule ;  for  if 
detained  for  several  hours  by  force,  she  will,  by  the  power  of 
smell,  like  a  dog,  track  out  her  companions,  or  rather  the 
madrina,  for,  according  to  the  muleteer,  she  is  the  chief  object 
of  affection.  The  feeling,  however,  is  not  of  an  individual 
nature ;  for  I  believe  I  am  right  in  saying  that  any  animal  with 
a  bell  will  serve  as  a  madrina.  In  a  troop  each  animal  carries 
on  a  level  road,  a  cargo  weighing  416  pounds  (more  than  29 
stone),  but  in  a  mountainous  country  100  pounds  less ;  yet  with 
what  delicate  slim  limbs,  without  any  proportional  bulk  of  muscle, 
these  animals  support  so  great  a  burden  !  The  mule  always 
appears  to  me  a  most  surprising  animal.  That  a  hybrid  should 
possess  more  reason,  memory,  obstinacy,  social  affection,  powers 
of  muscular  endurance,  and  length  of  life,  than  either  of  its 
parents,  seems  to  indicate  that  art  has  here  outdone  nature.  Of 
our  ten  animals,  six  were  intended  for  riding,  and  four  for  carry- 
ing cargoes,  each  taking  turn  about.  We  carried  a  good  deal  of 
food,  in  case  we  should  be  snowed  up,  as  the  season  was  rather 
late  for  passing  the  Portillo. 

March  19th. — We  rode  during  this  day  to  the  last,  and  there- 
fore most  elevated  house  in  the  valley.  The  number  of  inha- 
bitants became  scanty ;  but  wherever  water  could  be  brought 
on  the  land,  it  was  very  fertile.  All  the  main  valleys  in  the 
Cordillera  are  characterised  by  having,  on  both  sides,  a  fringe  or 
terrace  of  shingle  and  sand,  rudely  stratified,  and  generally  of 
considerable  thickness.  These  fringes  evidently  once  extended 
across  the  valleys,  and  were  united ;  and  the  bottoms  of  the 
valleys  in  northern  Chile,  where  there  are  no  streams,  are  thus 
smoothly  filled  up.  On  these  fringes  the  roads  are  generally 
carried,  for  their  surfaces  are  even,  and  they  rise  with  a  very  gentle 
slope  up  the  valleys :  hence,  also,  they  are  easily  cultivated  by 
irrigation.  They  may  be  traced  up  to  a  height  of  between 
7000  and  9000  feet,  where  they  become  hidden  by  the  irregulai 


316  PORTILLO   PASS.  [CHAP.  XT. 

piles  of  debris.  At  the  lower  end  or  mouths  of  the  valleys, 
they  are  continuously  united  to  those  land-locked  plains  (also 
formed  of  shingle)  at  the  fyot  of  the  main  Cordillera,  which 
I  have  described  in  a  former  chapter  as  characteristic  of  the 
scenery  of  Chile,  and  which  were  undoubtedly  deposited  when 
the  sea  penetrated  Chile,  as  it  now  does  the  more  southern 
coasts.  No  one  fact  in  the  geology  of  South  America,  interested 
me  more  than  these  terraces  of  rudely-stratified  shingle.  They 
precisely  resemble  in  composition,  the  matter  which  the  torrents  in 
each  valley  would  deposit,  if  they  were  checked  in  their  course 
by  any  cause,  such  as  entering  a  lake  or  arm  of  the  sea  ;  but  the 
torrents,  instead  of  depositing  matter,  are  now  steadily  at  work 
wearing  away  both  the  solid  rock  and  these  alluvial  deposits, 
along  the  whole  line  of  every  main  valley  and  side  valley.  It  is 
impossible  here  to  give  the  reasons,  but  I  am  convinced  that  the 
shingle  terraces  were  accumulated,  during  the  gradual  elevation 
of  the  Cordillera,  by  the  torrents  delivering,  at  successive  levels, 
their  detritus  on  the  beach-heads  of  long  narrow  arms  of  the 
sea,  first  high  up  the  valleys,  then  lower  and  lower  down  as  the 
land  slowly  rose.  If  this  be  so,  and  I  cannot  doubt  it,  the  grand 
and  broken  chain  of  the  Cordillera,  instead  of  having  been  sud- 
denly thrown  up,  as  was  till  lately  the  universal,  and  still  is  the 
common  opinion  of  geologists,  has  been  slowly  upheaved  in 
mass,  in  the  same  gradual  manner  as  the  coasts  of  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  have  risen  within  the  recent  period.  A  multitude  of 
facts  in  the  structure  of  the  Cordillera,  on  this  view  receive  a 
simple  explanation. 

The  rivers  which  flow  in  these  valleys  ought  rather  to  be  called 
mountain-torrents.  Their  inclination  is  very  great,  and  their 
water  the  colour  of  mud.  The  roar  which  the  Maypu  made,  as 
it  rushed  over  the  great  rounded  fragments,  was  like  that  of  the 
sea.  Amidst  the  din  of  rushing  waters,  the  noise  from  the  stones, 
as  they  rattled  one  over  another,  was  most  distinctly  audible  even 
from  a  distance.  This  rattling  noise,  night  and  day,  may  be 
heard  along  the  whole  course  of  the  torrent.  The  sound  spoke 
eloquently  to  the  geologist ;  the  thousands  and  thousands  of 
stones,  which,  striking  against  each  other,  made  the  one  dull 
uniform  sound,  were  all  hurrying  in  one  direction.  It  was  like 
thinking  on  time,  where  the  minute  that  now  glides  past  is  irre- 


1835.]  TORREXTS  OF   THE   CORDILLERA.  317 

coverable.  So  was  it  with  these  stones ;  the  ocean  is  their  eter- 
nity, and  each  note  of  that  wild  music  told  of  one  more  step  to- 
wards their  destiny. 

It  is  not  possible  for  the  mind  to  comprehend,  except  by  a  slow- 
process,  any  effect  which  is  produced  by  a  cause  repeated  so  often, 
that  the  multiplier  itself  conveys  an  idea,  not  more  definite  than 
the  savage  implies  when  he  points  to  the  hairs  of  his  head.  As 
often  as  I  have  seen  beds  of  mud,  sand,  and  shingle,  accumulated 
to  the  thickness  of  many  thousand  feet,  I  have  felt  inclined  to 
exclaim  that  causes,  such  as  the  present  rivers  and  the  present 
beaches,  could  never  have  ground  down  and  produced  such 
masses.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  when  listening  to  the  rattling 
noise  of  these  torrents,  and  calling  to  mind  that  whole  races  of 
animals  have  passed  away  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  that 
during  this  whole  period,  night  and  day,  these  stones  have  gone 
rattling  onwards  in  their  course,  I  have  thought  to  myself,  can 
any  mountains,  any  continent,  withstand  such  waste  ? 

In  this  part  of  the  valley,  the  mountains  on  each  side  were  from 
3000  to  6000  or  8000  feet  high,  with  rounded  outlines  and  steep 
bare  flanks.  The  general  colour  of  the  rock  was  dullish  purple, 
and  the  stratification  very  distinct.  If  the  scenery  was  not  beautiful, 
it  was  remarkable  and  grand.  We  met  during  the  day  several 
herds  of  cattle,  which  men  were  driving  down  from  the  higher 
valleys  in  the  Cordillera.  This  sign  of  the  approaching  winter 
hurried  our  steps,  more  than  was  convenient  for  geologising. 
The  house  where  we  slept  was  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain, 
on  the  summit  of  which  are  the  mines  of  S.  Pedro  de  Nolasko. 
Sir  F.  Head  marvels  how  mines  have  been  discovered  in  such 
extraordinary  situations,  as  the  bleak  summit  of  the  mountain  of 
S.  Pedro  de  Nolasko.  In  the  first  place,  metallic  veins  in  this 
country  are  generally  harder  than  the  surrounding  strata :  hence, 
during  the  gradual  wear  of  the  hills,  they  project  above  the  surface 
of  the  ground.  Secondly,  almost  every  labourer,  especially  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Chile,  understands  something  about  the  appear- 
ance of  ores.  In  the  great  mining  provinces  of  Coquimbo  and 
Copiapo,  firewood  is  very  scarce,  arid  men  search  for  it  over  every 
hill  and  dale ;  and  by  this  means  nearly  all  the  richest  mines 
have  there  been  discovered.  Chanuncillo,  from  which  silver  to 
the  value  of  many  hundred  thousand  pounds  has  been  raised  in 


318  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

the  course  of  a  few  years,  was  discovered  by  a  man  who  threw  a 
stone  at  his  loaded  donkey,  and  thinking  that  it  was  very  heavy, 
he  picked  it  up,  and  found  it  full  of  pure  silver :  the  vein  occurred 
at  no  great  distance,  standing  up  like  a  wedge  of  metal.  The 
miners,  also,  taking  a  crowbar  with  them,  often  wander  on  Sun- 
days over  the  mountains.  In  this  south  part  of  Chile,  the  men 
who  drive  cattle  into  the  Cordillera,  and  who  frequent  every 
ravine  where  there  is  a  little  pasture,  are  the  usual  disco- 
verers. 

20th. — As  we  ascended  the  valley,  the  vegetation,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  pretty  alpine  flowers,  became  exceedingly 
scanty ;  and  of  quadrupeds,  birds,  or  insects,  scarcely  one  could 
be  seen.  The  lofty  mountains,  their  summits  marked  with  a  few 
patches  of  snow,  stood  well  separated  from  each  other  ;  the  val- 
leys being  filled  up  with  an  immense  thickness  of  stratified  allu- 
vium. The  features  in  the  scenery  of  the  Andes  which  struck 
me  most,  as  contrasted  with  the  other  mountain  chains  with  which 
I  am  acquainted,  were, — the  flat  fringes  sometimes  expanding 
into  narrow  plains  on  each  side  of  the  valleys, — the  bright  co- 
lours, chiefly  red  and  purple,  of  the  utterly  bare  and  precipitous 
hills  of  porphyry, — the  grand  and  continuous  wall-like  dikes, — 
the  plainly-divided  strata  which,  where  nearly  vertical,  formed 
the  picturesque  and  wild  central  pinnacles,  but  where  less  in- 
clined, composed  the  great  massive  mountains  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  range, — and  lastly,  the  smooth  conical  piles  of  fine  and 
brightly-coloured  detritus,  which  sloped  up  at  a  high  angle  from 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  sometimes  to  a  height  of  more  than 
2000  feet. 

I  frequently  observed,  both  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  within 
the  Andes,  that  where  the  rock  was  covered  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  with  snow,  it  was  shivered  in  a  very  extraordi- 
nary manner  into  small  angular  fragments.  Scoresby*  has  ob- 
served the  same  fact  in  Spitzbergen.  The  case  appears  to  me 
rather  obscure :  for  that  part  of  the  mountain  which  is  protected 
by  a  mantle  of  snow,  must  be  less  subject  to  repeated  and  great 
changes  of  temperature  than  any  other  part.  I  have  sometimes 
thought,  that  the  earth  and  fragments  of  stone  on  the  surface, 
were  perhaps  less  effectually  removed  by  slowly  percolating  snow« 
*  So-oresby's  Arctic  Eegions,  vol.  i.  p.  122. 


1835.]  GEOLOGY   OF  THE   CORDILLERA.  819 

water*  than  by  rain,  and  therefore  that  the  appearance  of  a 
quicker  disintegration  of  the  solid  rock  under  the  snow,  was  decep- 
tive. Whatever  the  cause  may  be,  the  quantity  of  crumbling 
stone  on  the  Cordillera  is  very  great.  Occasionally  in  the  spring, 
great  masses  of  this  detritus  slide  down  the  mountains,  and  covei 
the  snow-drifts  in  the  valleys,  thus  forming  natural  ice-houses. 
We  rode  over  one,  the  height  cf  which  was  far  below  the  limit 
of  perpetual  snow. 

As  the  evening  drew  to  a  close,  we  reached  a  singular  basin- 
like  plain,  called  the  Valle  del  Yeso.  It  was  covered  by  a  little 
dry  pasture,  and  we  had  the  pleasant  sight  of  a  herd  of  cattle 
amidst  the  surrounding  rocky  deserts.  The  valley  takes  its  name 
of  Yeso  from  a  great  bed,  I  should  think  at  least  2000  feet  thick, 
of  white,  and  in  some  parts  quite  pure,  gypsum.  We  slept  with 
a  party  of  men.  who  were  employed  in  loading  mules  with  this 
substance,  which  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  wine.  We  set 
out  early  in  the  morning  (21st),  and  continued  to  follow  the  course 
of  the  river,  which  had  become  very  small,  till  we  arrived  at  the 
foot  of  the  ridge,  that  separates  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Pacific 
and  Atlantic  Oceans.  The  road,  which  as  yet  had  been  good 
with  a  steady  but  very  gradual  ascent,  now  changed  into  a  steep 
zigzag  track  up  the  great  range,  dividing  the  republics  of  Chile 
and  Mendoza. 

I  will  here  give  a  very  brief  sketch  of  the  geology  of  the 
several  parallel  lines  forming  the  Cordillera.  Of  these  lines, 
there  are  two  considerably  higher  than  the  others;  namely, 
on  the  Chilian  side,  the  Peuquenes  ridge,  which,  where  the  road 
crosses  it,  is  13,210  feet  above  the  sea;  and  the  Portillo  ridge, 
on  the  Mendoza  side,  which  is  14,305  feet.  The  lower  beds  of 
the  Peuquenes  ridge,  and  of  the  several  great  lines  to  the  west- 
ward of  it,  are  composed  of  a  vast  pile,  many  thousand  feet  in 
thickness,  of  porphyries  which  have  flowed  as  submarine  lavas, 
alternating  with  angular  and  rounded  .fragments  of  the  same 
rocks,  thrown  out  of  the  submarine  craters.  These  alternating 

*  I  have  heard  it  remarked  in  Shropshire,  that  the  water,  -when  the 
Severn  is  flooded  from  long-continued  rain,  is  much  more  turbid  than  -when 
it  proceeds  from  the  snow  melting  on  the  Welsh  mountains.  D'Orbigny 
(torn.  i.  p.  184),  in  explaining  the  cause  of  the  various  colours  of  the  rivers 
in  South  America,  remarks  that  those  with  blue  or  clear  water  have  then 
source  in  the  Cordillera,  where  the  snow  melts. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   CORDILLERA.  [CHAP.  XT. 

are  covered  in  the  central  parts,  by  a  great  thickness 
of  red  sandstone,  conglomerate,  and  calcareous  clay-slate,  asso- 
ciated with,  and  passing  into,  prodigious  beds  of  gypsum.  Jn 
these  upper  beds  shells  are  tolerably  frequent ;  and  they  belong 
to  about  the  period  of  the  lower  chalk  of  Europe.  It  is  an 
old  story,  but  not  the  less  wonderful,  to  hear  of  shells  which 
were  once  crawling  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  now  standing 
nearly  14,000  feet  above  its  level.  The  lower  beds  in  this 
great  pile  of  strata,  have  been  dislocated,  baked,  crystallized  and 
almost  blended  together,  through  the  agency  of  mountain  masses 
of  a  peculiar  white  soda-granitic  rock 

The  other  main  line,  namely,  that  of  the  Portillo,  is  of  a  totally 
different  formation :  it  consists  chiefly  of  grand  bare  pinnacles  ot 
a  red  potash-granite,  which  low  down  on  the  western  flank  are 
covered  by  a  sandstone,  converted  by  the  former  heat  into  a 
quartz-rock.  On  the  quartz,  there  rest  beds  of  a  conglomerate 
several  thousand  feet  in  thickness,  which  have  been  upheaved  by 
the  red  granite,  and  dip  at  an  angle  of  45°  towards  the  Peu- 
quenes  line.  I  was  astonished  to  find  that  this  conglomerate  was 
partly  composed  of  pebbles,  derived  from  the  rocks,  with  their 
fossil  shells,  of  the  Peuquenes  range ;  and  partly  of  red  potash- 
granite,  like  that  of  the  Portillo.  Hence  we  must  conclude,  that 
both  the  Peuquenes  and  Portillo  ranges  were  partially  upheaved 
and  exposed  to  wear  and  tear,  when  the  conglomerate  was  form- 
ing ;  but  as  the  beds  of  the  conglomerate  have  been  thrown  off 
at  an  angle  of  45°  by  the  red  Portillo  granite  (with  the  under- 
lying sandstone  baked  by  it),  we  may  feel  sure,  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  injection  and  upheaval  of  the  already  partially 
formed  Portillo  line,  took  place  after  the  accumulation  of  the 
conglomerate,  and  long  after  the  elevation  of  the  Peuquenes 
ridge.  So  that  the  Portillo,  the  loftiest  line  in  this  part  of  the 
Cordillera,  is  not  so  old  as  the  less  lofty  line  of  the  Peuquenes. 
Evidence  derived  from  an  inclined  stream  of  lava  at  the  eastern 
base  of  the  Portillo,  might  be  adduced  to  show,  that  it  owes  part 
of  its  great  height  to  elevations  of  a  still  later  date.  Looking 
to  its  earliest  origin,  the  red  granite  seems  to  have  been  injected 
on  an  ancient  pre-existing  line  of  white  granite  and  mica-slate. 
In  most  parts,  perhaps  in  all  parts,  of  the  Cordillera,  it  may  be 
•joncluded  that  each  line  has  been  formed  by  repeated  upheavals 


1835.]  GEOLOGY   OF   THE   CORDILLERA.  321 

and  injections ;  and  that  the  several  parallel  lines  are  of  different 
ages.  Only  thus  can  we  gain  time,  at  all  sufficient  to  explain 
the  truly  astonishing  amount  of  denudation,  which  these  great, 
though  comparatively  with  most  other  ranges  recent,  mountains 
have  suffered. 

Finally,  the  shells  in  the  Peuquenes  or  oldest  rklge,  prove,  as 
before  remarked,  that  it  has  been  upraised  14,000  feet  since  a 
Secondary  period,  which  in  Europe  we  are  accustomed  to  con- 
sider as  far  from  ancient ;  but  since  these  shells  lived  in  a 
moderately  deep  sea,  it  can  be  shown  that  the  area  now  occupied 
by  the  Cordillera,  must  have  subsided  several  thousand  feet — in 
northern  Chile  as  much  as  6000  feet — so  as  to  have  allowed  that 
amount  of  submarine  strata  to  have  been  heaped  on  the  bed  on 
which  the  shells  lived.  The  proof  is  the  same  with  that  by 
which  it  was  shown,  that  at  a  much  later  period  since  the  tertiary 
shells  of  Patagonian  lived,  there  must  have  been  there  a  subsi- 
dence of  several  hundred  feet,  as  well  as  an  ensuing  elevation. 
Daily  it  is  forced  home  on  the  mind  of  the  geologist,  that  no- 
thing, not  even  the  wind  that  blows,  is  so  unstable  as  the  level  of 
the  crust  of  this  earth. 

I  will  make  only  one  other  geological  remark :  although  the 
Portillo  chain  is  here  higher  th.in  the  Peuquenes,  the  waters, 
draining  the  intermediate  valleys,  have  burst  through  it.  The 
same  fact,  on  a  grander  scale,  has  been  remarked  in  the  eastern 
and  loftiest  line  of  the  Bolivian  Cordillera,  through  which 
the  rivers  pass :  analogous  facts  have  also  been  observed  in 
other  quarters  of  the  world.  On  the  supposition  of  the  sub- 
sequent and  gradual  elevation  of  the  Portillo  line,  this  can  be 
understood  ;  for  a  chain  of  islets  would  at  first  appear,  and,  as 
these  were  lifted  up,  the.  tides  would  be  always  wearing  deeper 
and  broader  channels  between  them.  At  the  present  day,  even 
in  the  most  retired  Sounds  on  the  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the 
currents  in  the  transverse  breaks  which  connect  the  longitudinal 
channels,  are  very  strong,  so  that  in  one  transverse  channel  even 
a  small  vessel  under  sail  was  whirled  round  and  round, 

» 

About  noon  we  began  the  tedious  ascent  of  the  Peuquenes 
ridge,  and  then  for  the  first  time  experienced  some  little  difficulty 
in  our  respiration.  The  mules  would  halt  every  fifty  yards,  and 


822  PORTILLO   PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

after  resting  for  a  few  seconds  the  poor  willing  animals  started  of 
their  own  accord  again.  The  short  breathing  from  the  rarefied 
atmosphere  is  called  by  the  Chilenos  "  puna ;"  and  they  have 
most  ridiculous  notions  concerning  its  origin.  Some  say  "  all 
the  waters  here  have  puna ;"  others  that  "  where  there  is  snow 
there  is  puna;"— and  this  no  doubt  is  true.  The  only  sensation 
I  experienced  was  a  slight  tightness  across  the  head  and  chest, 
like  that  felt  on  leaving  a  warm  room  and  running  quickly  in 
frosty  weather.  There  was  some  imagination  even  in  this  ;  for 
upon  finding  fossil  shells  on  the  highest  ridge,  I  entirely  forgot 
the  puna  in  my  delight.  Certainly  the  exertion  of  walking  was 
extremely  great,  and  the  respiration  became  deep  and  laborious : 
I  am  told  that  in  Potosi  (about  13,000  feet  above  the  sea) 
strangers  do  not  become  thoroughly  accustomed  to  the  atmo- 
sphere for  an  entire  year.  The  inhabitants  all  recommend  onions 
for  the  puna ;  as  this  vegetable  has  sometimes  been  given  in  Eu- 
rope for  pectoral  complaints,  it  may  possibly  be  of  real  service : 
— for  my  part  I  found  nothing  so  good  as  the  fossil  shells ! 

When  about  halfway  up  we  met  a  large  party  with  seventy 
loaded  mules.  It  was  interesting  to  hear  the  wild  cries  of  the 
muleteers,  and  to  watch  the  i.>ng  descending  string  of  the 
animals  ;  they  appeared  so  diminutive,  there  being  nothing  but 
the  bleak  mountains  with  which  they  could  be  compared.  When 
near  the  summit,  the  wind,  as  generally  happens,  was  impetuous 
and  extremely  cold.  On  each  side  of  the  ridge  we  had  to  pass 
over  broad  bands  of  perpetual  snow,  which  were  now  soon  to 
be  covered  by  a  fresh  layer.  When  we  reached  the  crest  and 
looked  backwards,  a  glorious  view  was  presented.  The  atmo- 
sphere resplendently  clear ;  the  sky  an  intense  blue ;  the  profound 
valleys ;  the  wild  broken  forms ;  the  heaps  of  ruins,  piled  up 
during  the  lapse  of  ages ;  the  bright-coloured  rocks,  contrasted 
with  the  quiet  mountains  of  snow  ;  all  these  together  produced  a 
scene  no  one  could  have  imagined.  Neither  plant  nor  bird, 
excepting  a  few  condors  wheeling  around  the  higher  pinnacles, 
distracted  my  attention  from  the  inanimate  mass.  I  felt  glad 
that  'I  was  alone :  it  was  like  watching  a  thunderstorm,  or  hear- 
ing in  full  orchestra  a  chorus  of  the  Messiah. 

On  several  patches  of  the  snow  I  found  the  Protococcus  nivalis, 
or  red  snow,  so  well  known  from  the  accounts  of  Arctic  navi- 


1835.]  RED   SNOW.  823 

gators.  My  attention  was  called  to  it,  by  observing  the  footsteps 
of  the  mules  stained  a  pale  red,  as  if  their  hoofs  had  been  slightly 
bloody.  I  at  first  thought  that  it  was  owing  to  dust  blown  from  the 
surrounding  mountains  of  red  porphyry ;  for  from  the  magnifying 
power  of  the  crystals  of  snow,  the  groups  of  these  microscopical 
plants  appeared  like  coarse  particles.  The  snow  was  coloured 
only  where  it  had  thawed  very  rapidly,  or  had  been  accidentally 
crushed.  A  little  rubbed  on  paper  gave  it  a  faint  rose  tinge 
mingled  with  a  little  brick-red.  I  afterwards  scraped  some  off  the 
paper,  and  found  that  it  consisted  of  groups  of  little  spheres  in 
colourless  cases,  each  the  thousandth  part  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

The  wind  on  the  crest  of  the  Peuquenes,  as  just  remarked,  is 
generally  impetuous  and  very  cold :  it  is  said*  to  blow  steadily 
from  the  westward  or  Pacific  side.  As  the  observations  have 
been  chiefly  made  in  summer,  this  wind  must  be  an  upper  and 
return  current.  The  Peak  of  Teneriffe,  with  a  less  elevation, 
and  situated  in  lat.  28°,  in  like  manner  falls  within  an  upper 
return  stream.  At  first  it  appears  rather  surprising,  that  the 
trade-wind  along  the  northern  parts  of  Chile  and  on  the  coast  of 
Peru,  should  blow  in  so  very  southerly  a  direction  as  it  does  ; 
but  when  we  reflect  that  the  Cordillera,  running  in  a  north  and 
south  line,  intercepts,  like  a  great  wall,  the  entire  depth  of  the 
lower  atmospheric  current,  we  can  easily  see  that  the  trade-wind 
must  be  drawn  northward,  following  the  line  of  mountains, 
towards  the  equatorial  regions,  and  thus  lose  part  of  that  easterly 
movement  which  it  otherwise  would  have  gained  from  the  earth's 
rotation.  At  Mendoza,  on  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Andes,  the 
climate  is  said  to  be  subject  to  long  calms,  and  to  frequent  though 
false  appearances  of  gathering  rain-storms:  we  may  imagine 
that  the  wind,  which  coming  from  the  eastward  is  thus  banked 
up  by  the  line  of  mountains,  would  become  stagnant  and  irregu- 
lar in  its  movements. 

Having  crossed  the  Peuquenes,  we  descended  into  a  mountain- 
ous country,  intermediate  between  the  two  main  ranges,  and  then 
took  up  our  quarters  for  the  night.  We  were  now  in  the  re- 
public of  Mendoza.  The  elevation  was  probably  not  under 
11,000  feet,  and  the  vegetation  in  consequence  exceedingly 

*  Dr.  Gillies  in  Journ.  of  Nat.  and  Geo^raph.  Scieice,  Aug.  1830.  This 
author  gives  the  heights  of  the  Passes. 


324  PORTILLO   PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

scanty.  The  root  of  a  small  scrubby  plant  served  as  fuel,  but  it 
made  a  miserable  fire,  and  the  wind  was  piercingly  cold.  Being 
quite  tired  with  my  day's  work,  I  made  up  my  bed  as  quickly  as 
I  could,  and  went  to  sleep.  About  midnight  I  observed  the  sky 
became  suddenly  clouded :  I  awakened  the  arriero  to  know  if 
there  was  any  danger  of  bad  weather ;  but  he  said  that  without 
thunder  and  lightning  there  was  no  risk  of  a  heavy  snow-storm. 
The  peril  is  imminent,  and  the  difficulty  of  subsequent  escape 
great,  to  any  one  overtaken  by  bad  weather  between  the  two 
ranges.  A  certain  cave  offers  the  only  place  of  refuge :  Mr. 
Caldcleugh,  who  crossed  on  this  same  day  of  the  month,  was  de- 
tained there  for  some  time  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  Casuchas, 
or  houses  of  refuge,  have  not  been  built  in  this  pass  as  in  that  of 
Uspallata,  and  therefore,  during  the  autumn,  the  Portillo  is  little 
frequented.  I  may  here  remark  that  within  the  main  Cordillera 
rain  never  falls,  for  during  the  summer  the  sky  is  cloudless,  and 
in  winter  snow-storms  alone  occur. 

At  the  place  where  we  slept  water  necessarily  boiled,  from  the 
diminished  pressure  of  the  atmosphere,  at  a  lower  temperature 
than  it  does  in  a  less  lofty  country  ;  the  case  being  the  converse 
of  that  of  a  Papin's  digester.  Hence  the  potatoes,  after  remain- 
ing for  some  hours  in  the  boiling  water,  were  nearly  as  hard  as 
ever.  The  pot  was  left  on  the  fire  all  night,  and  next  morning 
it  was  boiled  again,  but  yet  the  potatoes  were  not  cooked.  I 
found  out  this,  by  overhearing  my  two  companions  discussing  the 
cause ;  they  had  come  to  the  simple  conclusion,  "  that  the  cursed 
pot  (which  was  a  new  one)  did  not  choose  to  boil  potatoes." 

March  22nd. — After  eating  our  potato-less  breakfast,  we 
travelled  across  the  intermediate  tract  to  the  foot  of  the  Portillo 
range.  In  the  middle  of  summer  cattle  are  brought  up  here  to 
graze ;  but  they  had  now  all  been  removed :  even  the  greater 
number  of  the  guanacos  had  decamped,  knowing  well  that  if 
overtaken  here  by  a  snow-storm,  they  would  be  caught  in  a  trap. 
We  had  a  fine  view  of  a  mass  of  mountains  called  Tupungato, 
the  whole  clothed  with  unbroken  snow,  in  the  midst  of  which 
there  was  a  blue  patch,  no  doubt  a  glacier ; — a  circumstance  of 
rare  occurrence  in  these  mountains.  Now  commenced  a  heavy 
and  long  climb,  similar  to  that  up  the  Peuquenes.  Bold  conical 
hilb  of  red  granite  rose  on  each  hand  ;  in  the  valleys  there  were 


1835.]  DRY   AXD   CLEAR  ATMOSPHERE.  325 

several  broad  fields  of  perpetual  snow.  These  frozen  masses, 
during  the  process  of  thawing,  had  in  some  parts  been  converted 
into  pinnacles  or  columns,*  which,  as  they  were  high  and  close 
together,  made  it  difficult  for  the  cargo  mules  to  pass.  On 
one  of  these  columns  of  ice,  a  frozen  horse  was  sticking  as  on 
a  pedestal,  but  with  its  hind  legs  straight  up  in  the  air.  The 
animal,  I  suppose,  must  have  fallen  with  its  head  downward 
into  a  hole,  when  the  snow  was  continuous,  and  afterwards  the 
surrounding  parts  must  have  been  removed  by  the  thaw. 

When  nearly  on  the  crest  of  the  Portillo,  we  were  enveloped 
in  a  falling  cloud  of  minute  frozen  spicula.  This  was  very  un- 
fortunate, as  it  continued  the  whole  day,  and  quite  intercepted 
our  view.  The  pass  takes  its  name  of  Portillo,  from  a  narrow 
cleft  or  doorway  on  the  highest  ridge,  through  which  the  road 
passes.  From  this  point,  on  a  clear  day,  those  vast  plains  which 
uninterruptedly  extend  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  can  be  seen.  We 
descended  to  the  upper  limit  of  vegetation,  and  found  good 
quarters  for  the  night  under  the  shelter  of  some  large  fragments 
of  rock.  We  met  here  some  passengers,  who  made  anxious  in- 
quiries about  the  state  of  the  road.  Shortly  after  it  was  dark 
the  clouds  suddenly  cleared  away,  and  the  effect  was  quite  ma- 
gical. The  great  mountains,  bright  with  the  full  moon,  seemed 
impending  over  us  on  all  sides,  as  over  a  deep  crevice:  one 
morning,  very  early,  I  witnessed  the  same  striking  effect.  As 
soon  as  the  clouds  were  dispersed  it  froze  severely ;  but  as  there 
was  no  wind,  we  slept  very  comfortably. 

The  increased  brilliancy  of  the  moon  and  stars  at  this  eleva- 
tion, owing  to  the  perfect  transparency  of  the  atmosphere,  was 
very  remarkable.  Travellers  having  observed  the  difficulty  01 
judging  heights  and  distances  amidst  lofty  mountains,  have  gene- 
rally attributed  it  to  the  absence  of  objects  of  comparison.  It 
appears  to  me,  that  it  is  fully  as  much  owing  to  the  transparency 
of  the  air  confounding  objects  at  different  distances,  and  likewise 

*  This  structure  in  frozen  snow  was  long  since  observed  by  Scoresby  in 
tbe  icebergs  near  Spitzbergen,  and  lately,  with  more  care,  by  Colonel 
Jackson  (Journ.  of  Geograph.  Soc.,  vol.  v.  p.  12)  on  the  Neva.  Mr.  Lyell 
(Principles,  vol.  iv.  p.  360)  has  compared  the  fissures,  by  which  the  co- 
lumnar structure  seems  to  be  determined,  to  the  joints  that  traverse  nearly 
all  rocks,  but  which  are  best  seen  in  the  non-stratified  masses.  I  may 
observe,  that  in  the  case  of  *he  frozen  snow,  the  columnar  structure  must  be 
owing  to  a  "  metamorphic  "  action,  and  not  to  a  process  during  deposition. 


PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  XT. 


partly  to  the  novelty  of  an  unusual  degree  of  fatigue  arising  from 
a  little  exertion,— habit  being  thus  opposed  to  the  evidence  of 
the  senses.  I  am  sure  that  this  extreme  clearness  of  the  air  gives 
a  peculiar  character  to  the  landscape,  all  objects  appearing  to  be 
brought  nearly  into  one  plane,  as  in  a  drawing  or  panorama. 
The  transparency  is,  I  presume,  owing  to  the  equable  and  high 
state  of  atmospheric  dryness.  This  diyness  was  shown  by  the 
manner  in  which  woodwork  shrank  (as  I  soon  found  by  the 
trouble  my  geological  hammer  gave  me) ;  by  articles  of  food, 
such  as  bread  and  sugar,  becoming  extremely  hard ;  and  by  the 
preservation  of  the  skin  and  parts  of  the  flesh  of  the  beasts,  which 
had  perished  on  the  road.  To  the  same  cause  we  must  attribute 
the  singular  facility  with  which  electricity  is  excited.  My  flan- 
nel-waistcoat, when  rubbed  in  the  dark,  appeared  as  if  it  had  been 
washed  with  phosphorus ; — every  hair  on  a  dog's  back  crackled  ; 
— even  the  linen  sheets,  and  leathern  straps  of  the  saddle,  when 
handled,  emitted  sparks. 

March  23rd. — The  descent  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cordil- 
lera, is  much  shorter  or  steeper  than  on  the  Pacific  side  ;  in  other 
words,  the  mountains  rise  more  abruptly  from  the  plains  than 
from  the  alpine  country  of  Chile.  A  level  and  brilliantly  white 
sea  of  clouds  was  stretched  out  beneath  our  feet,  shutting  out  the 
view  of  the  equally  level  Pampas.  We  soon  entered  the  band  of 
clouds,  and  did  not  again  emerge  from  it  that  day.  About 
noon,  finding  pasture  for  the  animals  and  bushes  for  firewood  at 
Los  Arenales,  we  stopped  for  the  night.  This  was  near  the  up- 
permost limit  of  bushes,  and  the  elevation,  I  suppose,  was  between 
seven  and  eight  thousand  feet. 

I  was  much  struck  with  the  marked  difference  between  the 
vegetation  of  these  eastern  valleys  and  those  on  the  Chilian  side: 
yet  the  climate,  as  well  as  the  kind  of  soil,  is  nearly  the  same, 
and  the  difference  of  longitude  very  trifling.  The  same  remark 
holds  good  with  the  quadrupeds,  and  in  a  lesser  degree  with  the 
birds  and  insects.  I  may  instance  the  mice,  of  which  I  obtained 
thirteen  species  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  and  five  on  the 
Pacific,  and  not  one  of  them  is  identical.  We  must  except  all 
those  species,  which  habitually  or  occasionally  frequent  elevated 
mountains ;  and  certain  birds,  which  range  as  far  south  as  the 
Strait  of  Magellan.  This  fact  is  in  perfect  accordance  with  tho 


1835.]  VIEW   OF   THE   PAMPAS.  32Y 

geological  history  of  the  Andes ;  for  these  mountains  have  ex- 
isted as  a  great  barrier,  since  the  present  races  of  animals  have 
appeared  ;  and  therefore,  unless  we  suppose  the  same  species  to 
have  been  created  in  two  different  places,  we  ought  not  to  expect 
any  closer  similarity  between  the  organic  beings  on  the  opposite 
sides  of  the  Andes,  than  on  the  opposite  shores  of  the  ocean.  In 
both  cases,  we  must  leave  out  of  the  question  those  kinds  which 
have  been  able  to  cross  the  barrier,  whether  of  solid  rock  or  salt- 
water.* 

A  great  number  of  the  plants  and  animals  were  absolutely  the 
same  as,  or  most  closely  allied  to  those  of  Patagonia.  We  here 
have  the  agouti,  bizcacha,  three  species  of  armadillo,  the  ostrich, 
certain  kinds  of  partridges  and  other  birds,  none  of  which  are 
ever  seen  in  Chile,  but  are  the  characteristic  animals'  of  the 
desert  plains  of  Patagonia.  We  have  likewise  many  of  the 
same  (to  the  eyes  of  a  person  who  is  not  a  botanist)  thorny 
stunted  bushes,  withered  grass,  and  dwarf  plants.  Even  the 
black  slowly-crawling  beetles  are  closely  similar,  and  some,  I 
believe,  on  rigorous  examination,  absolutely  identical.  It  had 
always  been  to  me  a  subject  of  regret,  that  we  \vere  unavoidably 
compelled  to  give  up  the  ascent  of  the  S.  Cruz  river,  before 
reaching-  the  mountains:  I  always  had  a  latent  hope  of  meeting 
with  some  great  change  in  the  features  of  the  country ;  but  1 
now  feel  sure,  that  it  would  only  have  been  following  the  plains 
of  Patagonia  up  a  mountainous  ascent. 

March  24th. —  Early  in  the  morning  I  climbed  up  a  moun- 
tain on  one  side  of  the  valley,  and  enjoyed  a  far  extended  view 
over  the  Pampas.  This  was  a  spectacle  to  which  I  had  always 
looked  forward  with  interest,  but  I  was  disappointed :  at  the 
first  glance  it  much  resembled  a  distant  view  of  the  ocean,  but 
in  the  northern  parts  many  irregularities  were  soon  distinguish- 
able. The  most  striking  feature  consisted  in  the  rivers,  which, 
facing  the  rising  sun,  glittered  like  silver  threads,  till  lost  in  the 
immensity  of  the  distance.  At  midday  we  descended  the  valley, 

*  This  is  merely  an  illustration  of  the  admirable  laws,  first  laid  down  by 
Mr.  Lyel l.on  the  geographical  distribution  of  animals,  as  influenced  by  geo- 
logical changes.  The  whole  reasoning,  of  course,  is  founded  on  the  assump- 
tion of  the  immutability  of  species;  otherwise  the  difference  in  the  species 
in  the  two  regions,  might  be  considered  as  superinduced  during  a  length  of 
time. 

22 


PORTILLO   PASS.  [CHAP.  XT. 


and  reached  a  hovel,  where  an  officer  and  three  soldiers  were 
posted  to  examine  passports.  One  of  these  men  was  a  thorough- 
bred Pampas  Indian  :  he  was  kept  much  for  the  same  purpose 
as  a  bloodhound,  to  track  out  any  person  who  might  pass  by 
secretly,  either  on  foot  or  horseback.  Some  years  ago,  a  pas- 
senger endeavoured  to  escape  detection,  by  making  a  long 
circuit  over  a  neighbouring  mountain ;  but  this  Indian,  having 
by  chance  crossed  his  track,  folloM'ed  it.  for  the  whole  day  over 
dry  and  very  stony  hills,  till  at  last  he  came  on  his  prey  hidden 
in  a  gully.  We  here  heard  that  the  silvery  clouds,  which  we 
had  admired  from  the  bright  region  above,  had  poured  down 
torrents  of  rain.  The  valley  from  this  point  gradually  opened, 
and  the  hills  became  mere  water-worn  hillocks  compared  to  the 
giants  behind :  it  then  expanded  into  a  gently-sloping  plain  of 
shingle,  covered  witrh  low  trees  and  bushes.  This  talus,  although 
appearing  narrow,  must  be  nearly  ten  miles  wide  before  it  blends 
into  the  apparently  dead  level  Pampas.  We  passed  the  only  house 
in  this  neighbourhood,  the  Estancia  of  Chaquaio;  and  at  sunset 
we  pulled  up  in  the  first  snug  corner,  and  there  bivouacked. 

March  25th. — I  was  reminded  of  the  Pampas  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
by  seeing  the  disk  of  the  rising  sun,  intersected  by  an  horizon, 
level  as  that  of  the  ocean.  During  the  night  a  heavy  dew  fell, 
a  circumstance  which  we  did  not  experience  within  the  Cordil- 
lera. The  road  proceeded  for  some  distance  due  east  across  a 
low  swamp ;  then  meeting  the  dry  plain,  it  turned  to  the  north 
towards  Mendoza.  The  distance  is  two  very  long  days' journey. 
Our  first  day's  journey  was  called  fourteen  leagues  to  Estacado, 
and  the  second  seventeen  to  Luxan,  near  Mendoza.  The  whole 
distance  is  over  a  level  desert  plain,  with  not  more  than  two  or 
three  houses.  The  sun  was  exceedingly  powerful,  and  the  ride 
devoid  of  all  interest.  There  is  very  little  water  in  this  "  tra- 
versia,"  and  in  our  second  day's  journey  we  found  only  one 
little  pool.  Little  water  flows  from  the  mountains,  and  it  soon 
becomes  absorbed  by  the  dry  and  porous  soil  ;  so  that,  although 
we  travelled  at  the  distance  of  only  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  the 
outer  range  of  the  Cordillera,  we  did  not  cross  a  single  stream. 
In  many  parts  the  ground  was  incrusted  with  a  saline  efflor- 
escence; hence  we  had  the  same  salt-loving  plants,  which  are 
nomniou  near  Bahia  Blanca.  The  landscape  has  a  uniform 


1835.]  SWARM   OF   LOCUSTS.  *  329 

character  from  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  along  the  whole  eastern 
coast  of  Patagonia,  to  the  Rio  Colorado ;  and  it  appears  that  the 
same  kind  of  country  extends  inland  from  this  river,  in  a  sweep- 
ing line  as  far  as  San  Luis,  and  perhaps  even  further  north.  To 
the  eastward  of  this  curved  line,  lies  the  basin  of  the  compara- 
tively damp  and  green  plains  of  Buenos  Ayres.  The  sterile 
plains  of  Mendoza  and  Patagonia  consist  of  a  bed  of  shingle, 
worn  smooth  and  accumulated  by  the  waves  of  the  sea ;  while 
the  Pampas,  covered  by  thistles,  clover,  and  grass,  have  been 
formed  by  the  ancient  estuary  mud  of  the  Plata. 

After  our  two  days'  tedious  journey,  it  was  refreshing  to  see 
in  the  distance  the  rows  of  poplars  and  willows  growing  round 
the  village  and  river  of  Luxan.  Shortly  before  we  arrived  at 
this  place,  we  observed  to  the  south  a  ragged  cloud  of  a  dark 
reddish-brown  colour.  At  first  we  thought  that  it  was  smoke 
from  some  great  fire  on  the  plains ;  but  we  soon  found  that  it 
was  a  swarm  of  locusts.  They  were  flying  northward  ;  and  with 
the  aid  of  a  light  breeze,  they  overtook  us  at  a  rate  of  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  an  hour.  The  main  body  filled  the  air  from  a 
height  of  twenty  feet,  to  that,  as  it  appeared,  of  two  or  three 
thousand  above  the  ground  ;  "  and  the  sound  of  their  wings  was 
as  the  sound  of  chariots  of  many  horses  running  to  battle :"  or 
rather,  I  should  say,  like  a  strong  breeze  passing  through  the 
rigging  of  a  ship.  The  sky,  seen  through  the  advanced  guard, 
appeared  like  a  mezzotinto  engraving,  but  the  main  body  was 
impervious  to  sight ;  they  were  not,  however,  so  thick  together, 
but  that  they  could  escape  a  stick  waved  backwards  and  for- 
wards. When  they  alighted,  they  were  more  numerous  than  the 
leaves  in  the  field,  and  the  surface  became  reddish  instead  of 
being  green:  the  swarm  having  once  alighted,  the  individuals 
flew  from  side  to  side  in  all  directions.  Locusts  are  not  an  un- 
common pest  in  this  country :  already  during  this  season,  several 
smaller  swarms  had  come  up  from  the  south,  where,  as  apparently 
in  all  other  parts  of  the  world,  they  are  bred  in  the  deserts. 
The  poor  cottagers  in  vain  attempted  by  lighting  fires,  by  shouts, 
and  by  waving  branches  to  avert  the  attack.  This  species 
of  locust  closely  resembles,  and  perhaps  is  identical  with  the 
famous  Gryllus  migratorius  of  the  East. 

We  crossed  the  Luxan,  which  is  a  river  of  considerable  size, 


MENDOZA.  [CHAP.  xv. 


though  its  course  towards  the  sea-coast  is  very  imperfectly 
known :  it  is  even  doubtful  whether,  in  passing  over  the  plains, 
it  is  not  evaporated  and  lost.  We  slept  in  the  village  of  Luxan, 
which  is  a  small  place  surrounded  by  gardens,  and  forms  the 
most  southern  cultivated  district  in  the  Province  of  Mendoza ; 
it  is  five  leagues  south  of  the  capital.  At  night  I  experienced 
an  attack  (for  it  deserves  no  less  a  name)  of  the  JBenchuca,  a 
species  of  Reduvius,  the  great  black  bug  of  the  Pampas.  It  is 
most  disgusting  to  feel  soft  wingless  insects,  about  an  inch  long, 
crawling  over  one's  body.  Before  sucking  they  are  quite  thin, 
but  afterwards  they  become  round  and  bloated  with  blood,  and 
in  this  state  are  easily  crushed.  One  which  I  caught  at  Iquique, 
(for  they  are  found  in  Chile  and  Peru,)  was  very  empty.  When 
placed  on  a  table,  and  though  surrounded  by  people,  if  a  finger 
was  presented,  the  bold  insect  would  immediately  protrude  its 
sucker,  make  a  charge,  and  if  allowed,  draw  blood.  No  pain 
was  caused  by  the  wound.  It  was  curious  to  watch  its  body 
during  the  act  of  sucking,  as  in  less  than  ten  minutes  it  changed 
from  being  as  flat  as  a  wafer  to  a  globular  form.  This  one  feast, 
for  which  the  benchuca  was  indebted  to  one  of  the  officers,  kept 
it  fat  during  four  whole  months ;  but,  after  the  first  fortnight,  it 
was  quite  ready  to  have  another  suck. 

March  21th. — We  rode  on  to  Mendoza.  The  country  was 
beautifully  cultivated,  and  resembled  Chile.  This  neighbour- 
hood is  celebrated  for  its  fruit ;  and  certainly  nothing  could 
appear  more  flourishing  than  the  vineyards  and  the  orchards  of 
figs,  peaches,  and  olives.  We  bought  water-melons  nearly  twice 
as  large  as  a  man's  head,  most  deliciously  cool  and  well-flavoured, 
for  a  halfpenny  apiece  ;  and  for  the  value  of  threepence,  half  a 
wheelbarrowful  of  peaches.  The  cultivated  and  enclosed  part 
of  this  province  is  very  small ;  there  is  little  more  than  that 
which  we  passed  through  between  Luxan  and  the  Capital.  The 
land,  as  in  Chile,  owes  its  fertility  entirely  to  artificial  irriga- 
tion ;  and  it  is  really  wonderful  to  observe  how  extraordinarily 
productive  a  barren  traversia  is  thus  rendered. 

We  stayed  the  ensuing  day  in  Mendoza.  The  prosperity  of 
the  place  has  much  declined  of  late  years.  The  inhabitants  say 
"  it  is  good  to  live  in,  but  very  bad  to  grow  rich  in."  The 
lower  orders  have  the  lounging,  reckless  manners  of  the  Gauchoe 


1S35.]  MENDOZA.  331 

of  the  Pampas ;  and  their  dress,  riding-gear,  and  habits  of  life, 
are  nearly  the  same.  To  my  mind  the  town  had  a  stupid,  forlorn 
aspect.  Neither  the  boasted  alameda,  nor  the  scenery,  is  at 
all  comparable  with  that  of  Santiago ;  but  to  those  who,  coming 
from  Buenos  Ayres,  have  just  crossed  the  unvaried  Pampas,  the 
gardens  and  orchards  must  appear  delightful.  Sir  F.  Head, 
speaking  of  the  inhabitants,  says,  "  They  eat  their  dinners,  and 
it  is  so  very  hot,  they  go  to  sleep — and  could  they  do  better?" 
I  quite  agree  with  Sir  F.  Head :  the  happy  doom  of  the  Men- 
ciozinos  is  to  eat,  sleep,  and  be  idle. 

March  29th. — Wo  set  out  on  our  return  to  Chile,  by  the 
Uspallata  pass  situated  north  of  Mendoza.  We  had  to  cross  a 
long  and  most  sterile  traversia  of  fifteen  leagues.  The  soil  in 
parts  was  absolutely  bare,  in  others  covered  by  numberless  dwarf 
cacti,  armed  with  formidable  spines,  and  called  by  the  inhabi- 
tants "  little  lions."  There  were,  also,  a  few  low  bushes.  Al- 
though the  plain  is  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  the 
sun  was  very  powerful ;  and  the  heat,  as  well  as  the  clouds  of 
impalpable  dust,  rendered  the  travelling  extremely  irksome. 
Our  course  during  the  day  lay  nearly  parallel  to  the  Cordillera, 
but  gradually  approaching  them.  Before  sunset  we  entered  one 
of  the  wide  valleys,  or  rather  bays,  which  open  on  the  plain : 
this  soon  narrowed  into  a  ravine,  where  a  little  higher  up  the 
house  of  Villa  Vicencio  is  situated.  As  we  had  ridden  all  day 
without  a  drop  of  water,  both  our  mules  and  selves  were  very 
thirsty,  and  we  looked  out  anxiously  lor  the  stream  which  flows 
down  this  valley.  It  was  curious  to  observe  how  gradually  the 
water  made  its  appearance :  on  the  plain  the  course  was  quite 
dry ;  by  degrees  it  became  a  little  damper ;  then  puddles  of 
water  appeared ;  these  soon  became  connected ;  and  at  Villa 
Vicencio  there  was  a  nice  little  rivulet. 

3Qth. — The  solitary  hovel  which  bears  the  imposing  name  of 
Villa  Vicencio,  has  been  mentioned  by  every  traveller  who  has 
crossed  the  Andes.  I  stayed  here  and  at  some  neighbouring 
mines  during  the  two  succeeding  days.  The  geology  of  the 
surrounding  country  is  very  curious.  The  Uspallata  range  is 
separated  from  the  main  Cordillera  by  a  long  narrow  plain  or 
basin,  like  those  so  often  mentioned  in  Chile,  but  higher,  being 


832  USPALLATA   PASS.  [CHAP.  XT. 

six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  This  range  has  nearly  the 
same  geographical  position  with  respect  to  the  Cordillera,  which 
the  gigantic  Portillo  line  has,  but  it  is  of  a  totally  different 
origin :  it  consists  of  various  kinds  of  submarine  lava,  alternat- 
ing with  volcanic  sandstones  and  other  remarkable  sedimentary 
deposits ;  the  whole  having  a  very  close  resemblance  to  some 
of  the  tertiary  beds  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  From  this 
resemblance  I  expected  to  find  silicified  wood,  which  is  generally 
characteristic  of  those  formations.  I  was  gratified  in  a  very  ex- 
traordinary manner.  In  the  central  part  of  the  range,  at  an 
elevation  of  about  seven  thousand  feet,  I  observed  on  a  bare  slope 
some  snow-white  projecting  columns.  These  were  petrified 
trees,  eleven  being  silicified,  and  from  thirty  to  forty  converted 
into  coarsely-crystallized  white  calcareous  spar.  They  were 
abruptly  broken  off,  the  upright  stumps  projecting  a  few  feet 
above  the  ground.  The  trunks  measured  from  three  to  five  feet 
each  in  circumference.  They  stood  a  little  way  apart  from  each 
other,  but  the  whole  formed  one  group.  Mr.  Kobert  Brown  has 
been  kind  enough  to  examine  the  wood :  he  says  it  belongs  to  the 
iir  tribe,  partaking  of  the  character  of  the  Araucarian  family, 
but  with  some  curious  points  of  affinity  with  the  yew.  The 
volcanic  sandstone  in  which  the  trees  were  embedded,  and  from 
the  lower  part  of  which  they  must  have  sprung,  had  accumulated 
in  successive  thin  layers  around  their  trunks  ;  and  the  stone  yet 
retained  the  impression  of  the  bark. 

It  required  little  geological  practice  to  interpret  the  marvel- 
lous story  which  this  scene  at  once  unfolded  ;  though  I  confess 
I  was  at  first  so  much  astonished,  that  I  could  scarcely  believe 
the  plainest  evidence.  I  saw  the  spot  where  a  cluster  of  fine 
trees  once  waved  their  branches  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic, 
when  that  ocean  (now  driven  back  700  miles)  came  to  the  foot 
of  the  Andes.  I  saw  that  they  had  sprung  from  a  volcanic  soil 
which  had  been  raised  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  that  sub- 
sequently this  dry  land,  with  its  upright  trees,  had  been  let  down 
into  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  In  these  depths,  the  formerly  dry 
land  was  covered  by  sedimentary  beds,  and  these  again  by 
tnormous  streams  of  submarine  lava — one  such  mass  attaining 
the  thickness  of  a  thousand  feet  ;  and  these  deluges  of  molten 
stone  and  aqueous  deposits  five  times  alternately  had  been  spread 


1835.]  SILICIFIED   TREES.  383 

out.  The  ocean  which  received  such  thick  masses,  must  have 
been  profoundly  deep  ;  but  again  the  subterranean  forces  exerted 
themselves,  and  I  now  beheld  the  bed  of  that  ocean,  forming  a 
chain  of  mountains  more  than  seven  thousand  feet  in  height. 
Nor  had  those  antagonist  forces  been  dormant,  which  are  always 
at  work  wearing  down  the  surface  of  the  land :  the  great  piles 
of  strata  had  been  intersected  by  many  wide  valleys,  and  the 
trees,  now  changed  into  silex,  were  exposed  projecting  from  the 
volcanic  soil,  now  changed  into  rock,  whence  formerly,  in  a 
green  and  budding  state,  they  had  raised  their  lofty  heads. 
Now,  all  is  utterly  irreclaimable  and  desert ;  even  the  lichen 
cannot  adhere  to  the  stony  casts  of  former  trees.  Vast,  and 
scarcely  comprehensible  as  such  changes  must  ever  appear,  yet 
they  have  all  occurred  within  a  period,  recent  when  compared 
with  the  history  of  the  Cordillera ;  and  the  Cordillera  itself  is 
absolutely  modern  as  compared  with  many  of  the  ibssiliferoua 
strata  of  Europe  and  America. 

April  1st. — We  crossed  the  Uspallata  range,  and  at  night 
slept  at  the  custom-house — the  only  inhabited  spot  on  the  plain. 
Shortly  before  leaving  the  mountains,  there  was  a  very  extraordi- 
nary view ;  red,  purple,  green,  and  quite  white  sedimentary 
rocks,  alternating;  with  black  lavas,  were  broken  up  and  thrown 
into  all  kinds  of  disorder  by  masses  of  porphyry  of  every  shade 
of  colour,  from  dark  brown  to  the  brightest  lilac.  It  was  the 
first  view  I  ever  saw,  which  really  resembled  those  pretty  sections 
which  geologists  make  of  the  inside  of  the  earth. 

The  next  day  we  crossed  the  plain,  and  followed  the  course  of 
the  same  great  mountain  stream  which  flows  by  Luxan.  Here  it 
was  a  furious  torrent,  quite  impassable,  and  appeared  larger 
than  in  the  low  country,  as  was  *he  case  with  the  rivulet  of  Villa 
Vicencio.  On  the  evening  of  the  succeeding  day,  we  reached 
the  Rio  de  las  Vacas,  which  is  considered  the  worst  stream  in 
the  Cordillera  to  cross.  As  all  these  rivers  have  a  rapid  and 
short  course,  and  are  formed  by  the  melting  of  the  snow,  the 
hour  of  the  day  makes  a  considerable  difference  in  their  volume. 
In  the  evening  the  stream  is  muddy  and  full,  but  about  daybreak 
t  becomes  clearer  and  much  less  impetuous.  This  we  found  to 
be  the  case  with  the  Rio  Vacas,  and  in  the  morning  we  crosswi 
it  with  litue  difficulty. 


334  USPALLATA.  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

The  scenery  thus  far  was  very  uninteresting,  compared  with 
that  of  the  Portillo  pass.  Little  can  be  seen  beyond  the  bare 
walls  of  the  one  grand,  flat-bottomed  valJey,  which  the  road  fol- 
lows up  to  the  highest  crest.  The  valley,  and  the  huge  rocky 
mountains  are  extremely  barren  :  during  the  two  previous  nights 
the  poor  mules  had  absolutely  nothing  to  eat,  for  excepting  a  few 
low  resinous  bushes,  scarcely  a  plant  can  be  seen.  In  the  course 
of  this  day  we  crossed  some  of  the  worst  passes  in  the  Cordillera, 
but  their  danger  has  been  much  exaggerated.  I  was  told  that  if 
I  attempted  to  pass  on  foot,  my  head  would  turn  giddy,  and  that 
there  was  no  room  to  dismount ;  but  I  did  not  see  a  place  where 
any  one  might  riot  have  walked  over  backwards,  or  got  off  his 
mule  on  either  side.  One  of  the  bad  passes,  called  las  Animas 
(the  Souls),  I  had  crossed,  and  did  not  find  out  till  a  day  after- 
wards, that  it  was  one  of  the  awful  dangers.  No  doubt  there  are 
many  parts  in  which,  if  the  mule  should  stumble,  the  rider  would 
be  hurled  down  a  great  precipice;  but  of  this  there  is  little 
chance.  I  dare  say,  in  the  spring,  the  "  laderas,"  or  roads, 
which  each  year  are  formed  anew  across  the  piles  of  fallen 
detritus,  are  very  bad ;  but  from  what  I  saw,  I  suspect  the  real 
danger  is  nothing.  With  cargo-mules  the  case  is  rather  different, 
for  the  loads  project  so  far,  that  the  animals,  occasionally  running 
against  each  other,  or  against  a  point  of  rock,  lose  their  balance, 
and  are  thrown  down  the  precipices.  In  crossing  the  rivers  I 
can  well  believe  that  the  difficulty  may  be  very  great :  at  this 
season  there  was  little  trouble,  but  in  the  summer  they  must  be 
very  hazardous.  I  can  quite  imagine,  as  Sir  F.  Head  describes, 
the  different  expressions  of  those  who  have  passed  the  gulf,  and 
those  who  are  passing.  I  never  heard  of  any  man  being  drowned, 
but  with  loaded  mules  it  frequently  happens.  The  arriero  tells 
you  to  show  your  mule  the  best  line,  and  then  allow  her  to  cross 
as  she  likes :  the  cargo-mule  takes  a  bad  line,  and  is  often  lost. 

April  4th. — From  the  Rio  de  las  Vacas  to  the  Puente  del 
Incas,  half  a  day's  journey.  As  there  was  pasture  for  the  mules, 
and  geology  for  me,  we  bivouacked  here  for  the  night.  When 
one  hears  of  a  natural  Bridge,  one  pictures  to  oneself  some  deep 
and  narrow  ravine,  across  which  a  bold  mass  of  rock  has  fallen : 
or  a  great  arch  hollowed  out  like  the  vault  of  a  cavern.  Instead 
of  this,  the  Incas  Bridge  consists  of  a  crust  of  stratified  shinglo. 


1835.]  INC  AS  BRIDGE.  335 

cemented  togetiier  by  the  deposits  of  the  neighbouring  hot 
springs.  It  appears,  as  if  the  stream  had  scooped  out  a  channel 
on  one  side,  leaving  an  overhanging  ledge,  which  was  met  by 
earth  and  stones  falling  down  from  the  opposite  cliff.  Certainly 
an  oblique  junction,  as  would  happen  in  such  a  case,  was  very 
distinct  on  one  side.  The  Bridge  of  the  Incas  is  by  no  means 
worthy  of  the  great  monarchs  whose  name  it  bears. 

5th. — We  had  a  long  day's  ride  across  the  central  ridge,  from 
the  Incas  Bridge  to  the  Ojos  del  Agua,  which  are  situated  near 
the  lowest  casuc/ta  on  the  Chilian  side.  These  casuchas  are  round 
little  towers,  with  steps  outside  to  reach  the  floor,  which  is  raised 
some  feet  above  the  ground  on  account  of  the  snow-drifts.  They 
are  eight  in  number,  and  under  the  Spanish  government  were 
kept  during  the  winter  well  stored  with  food  and  charcoal,  and 
each  courier  had  a  master-key.  Now  they  only  answer  the  pur- 
pose of  caves,  or  rather  dungeons.  Seated  on  some  little  emi- 
nence, they  are  not,  however,  ill  suited  to  the  surrounding  scene 
of  desolation.  The  zigzag  ascent  of  the  Cumbre,  or  the  partition 
of  the  waters,  was  very  steep  and  tedious;  its  height,  according 
to  Mr.  Pentland,  is  12,454  feet.  The  road  did  not  pass  over  any 
perpetual  snow,  although  there  were  patches  of  it  on  both  hands. 
The  wind  on  the  summit  was  exceedingly  cold,  but  it  was  impos- 
sible not  to  stop  for  a  few  minutes  to  admire,  again  and  again, 
the  colour  of  the  heavens,  and  the  brilliant  transparency  of  the 
atmosphere.  The  scenery  was  grand  :  to  the  westward  there  was 
a  fine  chaos  of  mountains,  divided  by  profound  ravines.  Some 
snow  generally  falls  before  this  period  of  the  season,  and  it  has 
even  happened  that  the  Cordillera  have  been  finally  closed  by  this 
time.  But  we  were  most  fortunate.  The  sky,  by  night  and  by 
day,  was  cloudless,  excepting  a  few  round  little  masses  of  vapour, 
that  floated  over  the  highest  pinnacles.  I  have  often  seen  these 
islets  in  the  sky,  marking  the  position  of  the  Cordillera,  when 
the  far-distant  mountains  have  been  hidden  beneath  the  horizon. 

April  6th.— In  the  morning  we  found  some  thief  had  stolen 
one  of  our  mules,  and  the  bell  of  the  madrina.  We  therefore 
rode  only  two  or  three  miles  down  the  valley,  and  staid  there  the 
ensuing  day  in  hopes  of  recovering  the  mule,  which  the  arriero 
thought  had  been  hidden  in  some  ravine.  The  scenery  in  this 
part  had  assumed  a  Chilian  character :  the  loyver  sides  of  the 


336  USPALLATA  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

mountains,  dotted  over  with  the  pale  evergreen  Quillay  tree,  and 
with  the  great  chandelier-like  cactus,  are  certainly  more  to  be 
admired  than  the  bare  eastern  valleys ;  but  I  cannot  quite  agree 
with  the  admiration  expressed  by  some  travellers.  The  extreme 
pleasure,  I  suspect,  is  chiefly  owing  to  the  prospect  of  a  good  fire 
and  of  a  good  supper,  after  escaping  from  the  cold  regions  above : 
and  I  am  sure  I  most  heartily  participated  in  these  feelings. 

8f h. — We  left  the  valley  of  the  Aconcagua,  by  which  we  had 
descended,  and  reached  in  the  evening  a  cottage  near  the  Villa 
de  St.  Rosa.  The  fertility  of  the  plain  was  delightful:  the 
autumn  being  advanced,  the  leaves  of  many  of  the  fruit-trees 
were  falling ;  and  of  the  labourers, — some  were  busy  in  drying 
figs  and  peaches  on  the  roofs  of  their  cottages,  while  others  were 
gathering  the  grapes  from  the  vineyards.  It  was  a  pretty  scene  ; 
but  I  missed  that  pensive  stillness  which  makes  the  autumn  in 
England  indeed  the  evening  of  the  year.  On  the  10th  we  reached 
Santiago,  where  I  received  a  very  kind  and  hospitable  reception 
from  Mr.  Caldcleugh.  My  excursion  only  cost  me  twenty-four 
days,  and  never  did  I  more  deeply  enjoy  an  equal  space  of  time. 
A  few  days  afterwards  I  returned  to  Mr.  Corfield's  house  at 
Valparaiso. 


1835.]  COAST-ROAD   TO   COQUIMBO.  337 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Coast-road  to  Coauimbo — Great  loads  carried  by  the  miners— Coquimbo — 
Earthquake  —  Step-formed  terraces— Absence  of  recent  deposits — Con- 
temporaneousness of  the  Tertiary  formations — Excursion  up  the  valley- 
Road  to  Guasco— Deserts — Valley  of  Copiapd— Rain  and  earthquakes- 
Hydrophobia —  The  Despoblado — Indian  Ruins— Probable  change  of 
climate — River-bed  arched  by  an  earthquake — Cold  gales  of  wind — Noises 
from  a  hill— Iquique — Salt  alluvium— Nitrate  of  soda — Lima — Unhealthy 
country — Ruins  of  Callao,  overthrown  by  an  earthquake — Recent  sub- 
sidence— Elevated  shells  on  San  Lorenzo,  their  decomposition — Plain  with 
embedded  shells  and  fragments  of  pottery — Antiquity  of  the  Indian  Race. 

NORTHERN  CHILE  AND  PERU. 

April  21th. — I  SET  out  on  a  journey  to  Coquimbo,  and  thence 
through  Guasco  to  Copiapo,  where  Captain  Fitz  Roy  kindly 
offered  to  pick  me  up  in  the  Beagle.  The  distance  in  a  straight 
line  along  the  shore  northward  is  only  420  miles ;  but  my 
mode  of  travelling  made  it  a  very  long  journey.  I  bought  four 
horses  and  two  mules,  the  latter  carrying  the  luggage  on  alter- 
nate days.  The  six  animals  together  only  cost  the  value  of 
twenty-five  pounds  sterling,  and  at  Copiapo  I  sold  them  again 
for  twenty-three.  We  travelled  in  the  same  independent  manner 
as  before,  cooking  our  own  meals,  and  sleeping  in  the  open  air. 
As  we  rode  towards  the  Vino  del  Mar,  I  took  a  farewell  view  of 
Valparaiso,  and  admired  its  picturesque  appearance.  For  geo- 
logical purposes  I  made  a  detour  from  the  high  road  to  the  foot 
of  the  Bell  of  Quillota.  We  passed  through  an  alluvial  district 
rich  in  gold,  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Limache,  where  we  slept. 
Washing  for  gold  supports  the  inhabitants  of  numerous  hovels, 
scattered  along  the  sides  of  each  little  rivulet;  but,  like  all  those 
whose  gains  are  uncertain,  they  are  unthrifty  in  their  habits,  and 
consequently  poor. 

28th. — In  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  a  cottage  at  the  foot  of 
the  Bell  mountain.  The  inhabitants  were  freeholders,  which  is 
uot  very  usual  in  Chile.  They  supported  themselves  on  the  pro 


NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvr. 


duce  of  a  garden  and  a  little  field,  but  were  very  poor.  Capital 
is  here  so  deficient,  that  the  people  are  obliged  to  sell  their  green 
corn  while  standing  in  the  field,  in  order  to  buy  necessaries  for 
the  ensuing  year.  Wheat  in  consequence  was  dearer  in  the  very 
district  of  its  production  than  at  Valparaiso,  where  the  contrac- 
tors live.  The  next  day  we  joined  the  main  road  to  Coquimbo. 
At  night  there  was  a  very  light  shower  of  rain  :  this  was  the  first 
drop  that  had  fallen  since  the  heavy  rain  of  September  llth  and 
12th,  which  detained  me  a  prisoner  at  the  Baths  of  Cauquenes. 
The  interval  was  seven  and  a  half  months  ;  but  the  rain  this  year 
in  Chile  was  rather  later  than  usual.  The  distant  Andes  were 
now  covered  by  a  thick  mass  of  snow ;  and  were  a  glorioua 
sight.  . 

May  2nd. — The  road  continued  to  follow  the  coast,  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  sea.  The  few  trees  and  bushes  which 
are  common  in  central  Chile  decreased  rapidly  in  numbers,  and 
were  replaced  by  a  tall  plant,  something  like  a  yucca  in  appear- 
ance. The  surface  of  the  country,  on  a  small  scale,  was  singu- 
larly broken  and  irregular  ;  abrupt  little  peaks  of  rock  rising  oui 
of  small  plains  or  basins.  The  indented  coast  and  the  bottom 
of  the  neighbouring  sea,  studded  with  breakers,  would,  if  con- 
verted into  dry  land,  present  similar  forms ;  and  such  a  con- 
version without  doubt  has  taken  place  in  the  part  over  which  we 
rode. 

3rd. — Quilimari  to  Conchalee.  The  country  became  more 
and  more  barren.  In  the  valleys  there  was  scarcely  sufficient 
water  for  any  irrigation  ;  and  the  intermediate  land  was  quite 
bare,  not  supporting  even  goats.  In  the  spring,  after  the  winter 
showers,  a  thin  pasture  rapidly  springs  up,  and  cattle  are  then 
driven  down  from  the  Cordillera  to  graze  for  a  short  time.  It 
is  curious  to  observe  how  the  seeds  of  the  grass  and  other  plants 
seem  to  accommodate  themselves,  as  if  by  an  acquired  habit,  to 
the  quantity  of  rain  which  falls  on  different  parts  of  this  coast. 
One  shower  far  northward  at  Copiapo  produces  as  great  an  effect 
on  the  vegetation,  as  two  at  Guasco,  and  as  three  or  four  in  this 
district.  At  Valparaiso  a  winter  so  dry  as  greatly  to  injure  the 
pasture,  would  at  Guasco  produce  the  most  unusual  abundance. 
Proceeding  northward,  the  quantity  of  rain  does  not  appear  to 
decrease  in  strict  proportion  to  the  latitude.  At  Conchalee, 


1835.]  CHILIAN   MINERS. 


which  is  only  67  miles  north  of  Valparaiso,  rain  is  not  expected 
till  the  end  of  May  ;  whereas,  at  Valparaiso  some  generally  falls 
early  in  April :  the  annual  quantity  is  likewise  small  in  pro- 
portion to  the  lateness  of  the  season  at  which  it  commences. 

4th. — Finding  the  coast-road  devoid  of  interest  of  any  kind,  wo 
turned  inland  towards  the  mining  district  and  valley  of  Illapel. 
This  valley,  like  every  other  in  Chile,  is  level,  broad,  and  very  fer 
tile :  it  is  bordered  on  each  side,  either  by  cliffs  of  stratified  shingle, 
or  by  bare  rocky  mountains.  Above  the  straight  line  of  the 
uppermost  irrigating  ditch,  all  is  brown  as  on  a  higli  road  ;  while 
all  below  is  of  as  bright  a  green  as  verdigris,  from  the  beds  of 
alfarfa,  a  kind  of  clover.  We  proceeded  to  Los  Hornos,  another 
mining  district,  where  the  principal  hill  was  drilled  with  holes, 
like  a  great  ants' -nest.  The  Chilian  miners  are  a  peculiar  race 
of  men  in  their  habits.  Living  fqr  weeks  together  in  the  most 
desolate  spots,  when  they  descend  to  the  villages  on  feast-days, 
there  is  no  excess  or  extravagance  into  which  they  do  not  run. 
They  sometimes  gain  a  considerable  sum,  and  then,  like  sailors 
with  prize-money,  they  try  how  soon  they  can  contrive  to  squan- 
der it.  They  drink  excessively,  buy  quantities  of  clothes,  and 
in  a  few  days  return  penniless  to  their  miserable  abodes,  there  to 
work  harder  than  beasts  of  burden.  This  thoughtlessness,  as 
with  sailors,  is  evidently  the  result  of  a  similar  manner  of  life. 
Their  daily  food  is  found  them,  and  they  acquire  no  habits  of 
carefulness  ;  moreover,  temptation  and  the  means  of  yielding  to  it 
are  placed  in  their  power  at  th«  same  time.  On  the  other  hand, 
in  Cornwall,  and  some  other  parts  of  England,  where  the  system 
of  selling  part  of  the  vein  is  followed,  the  miners,  from  being 
obliged  to  act  and  think  for  themselves,  are  a  singularly  intelli- 
gent and  well-conducted  set  of  men. 

The  dress  of  the  Chilian  miner  is  peculiar  and  rather  pic- 
turesque. He  wears  a  very  long  shirt  of  some  dark-coloured 
baize,  with  a  leathern  apron  ;  the  whole  being  fastened  round  his 
waist  by  a  bright-coloured  sash.  His  trowsers  are  very  broad, 
and  his  small  cap  of  scarlet  cloth  is  made  to  fit  the  head  closely 
We  met  a  party  of  these  miners  in  full  costume,  carrying  the 
body  of  one  of  their  companions  to  be  buried.  They  marched 
at  a  very  quick  trot,  four  men  supporting  the  corpse.  One  set 
having  run  as  hard  as  they  could  for  about  two  hundred  yards 


840  NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvr. 

were  relieved  by  four  others,  who  had  previously  dashed  on 
ahead  on  horseback.  Thus  they  proceeded,  encouraging  each 
other  by  wild  cries :  altogether  the  scene  formed  a  most  strange 
funeral. 

We  continued  travelling  northward,  in  a  zigzag  line ;  some- 
times stopping  a  day  to  geologise.  The  country  was  so  thinly 
inhabited,  and  the  track  so  obscure,  that  we  often  had  difficulty 
in  finding  our  way.  On  the  12th  I  stayed  at  some  mines.  The 
ore  in  this  case  was  not  considered  particularly  good,  but  from 
being  abundant  it  was  supposed  the  mine  would  sell  for  about 
thirty  or  forty  thousand  dollars  (that  is,  6000  or  8000  pounds 
sterling)  ;  yet  it  had  been  bought  by  one  of  the  English  Associ- 
ations for  an  ounce  of  gold  (3/.  8*.).  The  ore  is  yellow  pyrites, 
which,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  before  the  arrival  of  the 
English,  was  not  supposed  to  contain  a  particle  of  copper.  On 
a  scale  of  profits  nearly  as  great  as  in  the  above  instance,  piles 
of  cinders,  abounding  with  minute  globules  of  metallic  copper, 
were  purchased  ;  yet  with  these  advantages,  the  mining  associ- 
ations, as  is  well  known,  contrived  to  lose  immense  sums  of 
money.  The  folly  of  the  greater  number  of  the  commissioners 
and  shareholders  amounted  to  infatuation  ; — a  thousand  pounds 
per  annum  given  in  some  cases  to  entertain  the  Chilian  authori- 
ties ;  libraries  of  well-bound  geological  books :  miners  brought 
out  for  particular  metals,  as  tin,  which  are  not  found  in  Chile; 
contracts  to  supply  the  miners  with  milk,  in  parts  where  there 
are  no  cows  ;  machinery,  where  it -could  not  possibly  be  used  ;  and 
a  hundred  similar  arrangements,  bore  witness  to  our  absurdity, 
and  to  this  day  aiford  amusement  to  the  natives.  Yet  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  that  the  same  capital  well  emploved  in  these  mines 
would  have  yielded  an  immense  return :  a  confidential  man  of 
business,  a  practical  miner  and  assayer,  would  have  been  all  that 
was  required. 

Captain  Head  has  described  the  wonderful  load  which  the 
"  Apires,"  truly  beasts  of  burden,  carry  up  from  the  deepest 
mines.  I  confess  I  thought  the  account  exaggerated  ;  so  that  I 
was  glad  to  take  an  opportunity  of  weighing  one  of  the  loads, 
which  I  picked  out  by  hazard.  It  required  considerable  exertion 
on  my  part,  when  standing  directly  over  it,  to  lift  it  from  the 
ground.  The  load  was  considered  under  weight  when  found  to 


1835.]  CHILIAN  MINERS. 


be  197  pounds.  The  apire  had  carried  this  up  eighty  perpen- 
dicular yards,— part  of  the  way  by  a  steep  passage,  but  the 
greater  part  up  notched  poles,  placed  in  a  zigzag  line  up  the 
shaft.  According  to  the  general  regulation,  the  apire  is  not 
allowed  to  halt  for  breath,  except  the  mine  is  six  hundred  feet 
deep.  The  average  load  is  considered  as  rather  more  than  200 
pounds,  and  I  have  been  assured  that  one  of  300  pounds  (twenty- 
two  stone  and  a  half)  by  way  of  a  trial  has  been  brought  up  from 
the  deepest  mine !  At  this  time  the  apires  were  bringing  up  the 
usual  load  twelve  times  in  the  day  ;  that  is,  2400  pounds  from 
eighty  yards  deep ;  and  they  were  employed  in  the  intervals  in 
breaking  and  picking  ore. 

These  men,  excepting  from  accidents,  are  healthy,  and  appear 
cheerful.  Their  bodies  are  not  very  muscular.  They  rarely 
eat  meat  once  a  week,  and  never  oftener,  and  then  only  the  hard 
dry  charqui.  Although  with  a  knowledge  that  the  labour  was 
voluntary,  it  was  nevertheless  quite  revolting  to  see  the  state  in 
which  they  readied  the  mouth  of  the  mine ;  their  bodies  bent 
forward,  leaning  with  their  arms  on  the  steps,  their  legs  bowed, 
their  muscles  quivering,  the  perspiration  streaming  from  their 
faces  over  their  breasts,  their  nostrils  distended,  the  corners  of 
their  mouth  forcibly  drawn  back,  and  the  expulsion  of  their 
breath  most  laborious.  Each  time  they  draw  their  breath,  they 
utter  an  articulate  cry  of  "  ay-ay,"  which  ends  in  a  sound  rising 
from  deep  in  the  chest,  but  shrill  like  the  note  of  a  fife.  After 
staggering  to  the  pile  of  ore,  they  emptied  the  "  carpacho ;"  in 
two  or  three  seconds  recovering  their  breath,  they  wiped  the 
sweat  from  their  brows,  and  apparently  quite  fresh  descended 
the  mine  again  at  a  quick  pace.  This  appears  to  me  a  wonderful 
instance  of  the  amount  of  labour  which  habit,  for  it  can  be 
nothing  else,  will  enable  a  man  to  endure. 

In  the  evening,  talking  with  the  mayor-domo  of  these  mines, 
about  the  number  of  foreigners  now  scattered  over  the  whole 
country,  he  told  me  that,  though  quite  a  young  man,  he  remem- 
bers when  he  was  a  boy  at  school  at  Coquimbo,  a  holiday  beintr 
given  to  see  the  captain  of  an  English  ship,  who  was  brought  to 
the  city  to  speak  to  the  governor.  He  believes  that  nothing 
would  have  induced  any  boy  in  the  school,  himself  included,  to 
have  gone  close  to  the  Englishman  ;  so  deeply  had  they  been 


342  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

impressed  with  an  idea  of  the  heresy,  contamination,  and  evil  tu 
be  derived  from  contact  with  ^uch  a  person.  To  this  day  they 
relate  the  atrocious  actions  of  the  bucaniers ;  and  especially  of 
one  man,  who  took  away  the  figure  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  re- 
turned the  year  after  for  that  of  St.  Joseph,  saying  it  was  a  pity 
the  lady  should  not  have  a  husband.  I  heard  also  of  an  old  lady 
who,  at  a  dinner  in  Coquimbo,  remarked  how  wonderfully 
strange  it  was  that  she  should  have  lived  to  dine  in  the  same  room 
with  an  Englishman  ;  for  she  remembered  as  a  girl,  that  twice, 
at  the  mere  cry  of  "  Los  Ingleses,"  every  soul,  carrying  what 
valuables  they  could,  had  taken  to  the  mountains. 

14th. — We  reached  Coquimbo,  where  we  stayed  a  few  days. 
The  town  is  remarkable  for  nothing  but  its  extreme  quietness. 
It  is  said  to  contain  from  6000  to  8000  inhabitants.  On  the 
morning  of  the  17th  it  rained  lightly,  the  first  time  this  year,  for 
about  five  hours.  The  farmers,  who  plant  corn  near  the  sea- 
coast  where  the  atmosphere  is  more  humid,  taking  advantage  of 
this  shower,  would  break  up  the  ground ;  after  a  second  they 
would  put  the  seed  in  ;  and  if  a  third  shower  should  fall,  they 
would  reap  a  good  harvest  in  the  spring.  It  was  interesting  to 
watch  the  effect  of  this  trifling  amount  of  moisture.  Twelve 
hours  afterwards  the  ground  appeared  as  dry  as  ever ;  yet  after  an 
interval  of  ten  days,  all  the  hills  were  faintly  tinged  with  green 
patches  ;  the  grass  being  sparingly  scattered  in  hair-like  fibres  a 
full  inch  in  length.  Before  this  shower  every  part  of  the  surface 
was  bare  as  on  a  high  road. 

In  the  evening,  Captain  Fitz  Hoy  and  myself  were  dining  with 
Mr.  Edwards,  an  English  resident  well  known  for  his  hospitality 
by  all  who  have  visited  Coquimbo,  when  a  sharp  earthquake 
happened.  I  heard  the  forecoming  rumble,  but  from  the  screams 
of  the  ladies,  the  running  of  the  servants,  and  the  rush  of  several 
of  the  gentlemen  to  the  doorway,  I  could  not  distinguish  the 
motion.  Some  of  the  women  afterwards  were  crying  with  terror, 
and  one  gentleman  said  he  should  not  be  able  to  sleep  all  night, 
or  if  he  did,  it  would  only  be  to  dream  of  falling  houses.  The 
father  of  this  person  had  lately  lost  all  his  property  at  Talca- 
huano,  and  he  himself  had  only  just  escaped  a  falling  roof  at 
Valparaiso,  in  1S22.  He  mentioned  a  curious  coincidence  which 
then  happened  :  he  was  playing  at  cards,  when  a  German,  cue 


1835.]  SHINGLE-TERRACES  OF  COQUIMBO.  343 

of  the  party,  got  up,  and  said  he  would  never  sit  in  a  room  in 
these  countries  with  the  door  shut,  as,  owing  to  his  having  done 
so,  he  had  nearly  lost  his  life  at  Copiapo.  Accordingly  he 
opened  the  door ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  done  this,  than  he  cried 
out,  "  Here  it  comes  again  !  "  and  the  famous  shock  commenced. 
The  whole  party  escaped.  The  danger  in  an  earthquake  is  not 
from  the  time  lost  in  opening  a  door,  but  from  the  chance  of  its 
becoming  jammed  by  the  movement  of  the  walls. 

It  is  impossible  to  be  much  surprised  at  the  fear  which  natives 
and  old  residents,  though  some  of  them  known  to  be  men  of  great 
command  of  mind,  so  generally  experience  during  earthquakes. 
I  think,  however,  this  excess  of  panic  may  be  partly  attributed 
to  a  want  of  habit  in  governing  their  fear,  as  it  is  not  a  feeling 
they  are  ashamed  of.  Indeed,  the  natives  do  not  like  to  see  a 
person  indifferent.  I  heard  of  two  Englishmen  who,  sleeping  in 
the  open  air  during  a  smart  shock,  knowing  that  there  was  no 
danger,  did  not  rise.  The  natives  cried  out  indignantly,  "  Look 
at  those  heretics,  they  will  not  even  get  out  of  their  beds !  " 

I  spent  some  days  in  examining  the  step-formed  terraces  of 
shingle,  first  noticed  by  Captain  B.  Hall,  and  believed  by  Mr. 
Lyell  to  have  been  formed  by  the  sea,  during  the  gradual  rising 
of  the  land.  This  certainly  is  the  true  explanation,  for  I  found 
numerous  shells  of  existing  species  on  these  terraces.  Five  nar- 
row, gently  sloping,  fringe-like  terraces  rise  one  behind  the  other, 
and  where  best  developed  are  formed  of  shingle :  they  front 
the  bay,  and  sweep  up  both  sides  of  the  valley.  At  Guasco, 
nortli  of  Coquimbo,  the  phenomenon  is  displayed  on  a  much 
grander  scale,  so  as  to  strike  with  surprise  even  some  of  the  in- 
habitants. The  terraces  are  there  much  broader,  and  may  be 
called  piains  ;  in  some  parts  there  are  six  of  them,  but  generally 
or.ly  five ;  they  run  up  the  valley  for  thirty -seven  miles  from 
the  coast.  These  step-formed  terraces  or  fringes  closely  resemble 
those  in  the  valley  of  S.  Cruz,  and  except  in  being  on  a  smaller 
scale,  those  great  ones  along  the  whole  coast-line  of  Patagonia. 
They  have  undoubtedly  been  formed  by  the  denuding  power  oi 
the  sea,  during  long  periods  of  rest  in  the  gradual  elevation  of  the 
continent. 

Shells  of  many  existing  species  not  only  lie  on  the  surface  of 


344  CONTEMPORANEOUS   DEPOSITION  [CHAP.  xvi. 

the  terraces  at  Coquimbo  (to  a  height  of  250  feet),  but  are  em- 
bedded in  a  friable  calcareous  rock,  which  in  some  places  is  as 
much  as  between  twenty  and  thirty  feet  in  thickness,  but  is  ol 
little  extent.  These  modern  beds  rest  on  an  ancient  tertiary 
formation  containing  shells,  apparently  all  extinct.  Although  1 
examined  so  many  hundred  miles  of  coast  on  the  Pacific,  as  well 
as  Atlantic  side  of  the  continent,  I  found  no  regular  strata  con- 
taining sea-shells  of  recent  species,  excepting  at  this  place,  and 
at  a  few  points  northward  on  the  road  to  Guasco.  This  fact 
appears  to  me  highly  remarkable ;  for  the  explanation  generally 
given  by  geologists,  of  the  absence  in  any  district  of  stratified 
fossil iferous  deposits  of  a  given  period,  namely,  that  the  surface 
then  existed  as  dry  land,  is  not  here  applicable;  for  we  know 
from  the  shells  strewed  on  the  surface  and  embedded  in  loose 
sand  or  mould,  that  the  land  ibr  thousands  of  miles  along  both 
coasts  has  lately  been  submerged.  The  explanation,  no  doubt, 
must  be  sought  in  the  fact,  that  the  whole  southern  part  of  the 
continent  has  been  for  a  long  time  slowly  rising;  and  therefore 
that  all  matter  deposited  along  shore  in  shallow  water,  must  have 
been  soon  brought  up  and  slowly  exposed  to  the  wearing  action 
of  the  sea-beach ;  and  it  is  only  in  comparatively  shallow  water 
that  the  greater  number  of  marine  organic  beings  can  flourish, 
and  in  such  water  it  is  obviously  impossible  that  strata  of  any 
great  thickness  can  accumulate.  To  show  the  vast  power  of  the 
wearing  action  of  sea-beaches,  we  need  only  appeal  to  the  great 
cliffs  along  the  present  coast  of  Patagonia,  and  to  the  escarp- 
ments or  ancient  sea-cliffs  at  different  levels,  one  above  another, 
on  that  same  line  of  coast. 

The  old  underlying  tertiary  formation  at  Coquimbo,  appears 
to  be  of  about  the  same  age  with  several  deposits  on  the  coast  of 
Chile  (of  which  that  of  Navedad  is  the  principal  one),  and  with 
the  great  formation  of  Patagonia.  Both  at  Navedad  and  in  Pa- 
tagonia there  is  evidence,  that  since  the  shells  (a  list  of  which  has 
been  seen  by  Professor  E.  Forbes)  there  intombed  were  living, 
there  has  been  a  subsidence  of  several  hundred  feet,  as  well  as 
an  ensuing  elevation.  It  may  naturally  be  asked,  how  it  comes 
that,  although  no  extensive  fossiliferous  deposits  of  the  recent 
period,  nor  of  any  period  intermediate  between  it  and  the  ancient 
tertiary  epoch,  have  been  preserved  on  either  side  of  the  coil- 


1835.]  OF   THE   TERTIARY  FORMATIONS.  345 

tinent,  yet  that  at  this  ancient  tertiary  epoch,  sedimentary  matter 
containing  fossil  remains,  should  have  been  deposited  and  pre- 
served at  different  points  in  north  and  south  lines,  over  a  space 
of  1100  miles  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  of  at  least  1350 
miles  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  and  in  an  east  and  west  line 
of  700  miles  across  the  widest  part  of  the  continent  ?  I  believe 
the  explanation  is  not  difficult,  and  that  it  is  perhaps  applicable 
to  nearly  analogous  facta  observed  in  other  quarters  of  the  world. 
Considering  the  enormous  power  of  denudation  which  the  sea 
possesses,  as  shown  by  numberless  facts,  it  is  not  probable  that  a 
Bedimentary  deposit,  when  being  upraised,  could  pass  through  the 
ordeal  of  the  beach,  so  as  to  be  preserved  in  sufficient  masses  to 
last  to  a  distant  period,  without  it  were  originally  of  wide  extent 
and  of  considerable  thickness :  now  it  is  impossible  on  a  mode- 
rately shallow  bottom,  which  alone  is  favourable  to  most  living 
creatures,  that  a  thick  and  widely  extended  covering  of  sediment 
could  be  spread  out,  without  the  bottom  sank  down  to  receive 
the  successive  layers.  This  seems  to  have  actually  taken  place 
at  about  the  same  period  in  southern  Patagonia  and  Chile,  though 
these  places  are  a  thousand  miles  apart.  Hence,  if  prolonged 
movements  of  approximately  contemporaneous  subsidence  are 
generally  widely  extensive,  as  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe 
from  my  examination  of  the  Coral  Reefs  of  the  great  oceans — or 
if,  confining  our  view  to  South  America,  the  subsiding  move- 
ments have  been  coextensive  with  those  of  elevation,  by  which, 
within  the  same  period  of  existing  shells,  the  shores  of  Peru, 
Chile,  Tierra  del  Fuego,  Patagonia,  and  La  Plata  have  been 
upraised — then  we  can  see  that  at  the  same  time,  at  far  distant 
points,  circumstances  would  have  been  favourable  to  the  formation 
of  fossil iferous  deposits,  of  wide  extent  and  of  considerable  thick- 
ness ;  and  such  deposits,  consequently,  would  have  a  good  chance 
of  resisting  the  wear  and  tear  of  successive  beach-lines,  and  of 
lasting  to  a  future  epoch. 

May  21st. — I  set.  out  in  company  with  Don  Jose  Edwards  to 
the  silver-mine  of  Arqueros,  and  thence  up  the  valley  of  Co- 
quimbo.  Passing  through  a  mountainous  country,  we  reached 
by  nightfall  the  mines  belonging  to  Mr.  Edwards.  I  enjoyed 
icy  night's  rest  here  from  a  reason  which  will  not  be  fully 


346  NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvr. 

appreciated  in  England,  namely,  the  absence  of  fleas !  The  rooms 
in  Coquimbo  swarm  with  them ;  but  they  will  not  live  here  at  the 
height  of  only  three  or  four  thousand  feet :  it  can  scarcely  be  the 
trifling  diminution  of  temperature,  but  some  other  cause  which 
destroys  these  troublesome  insects  at  this  place.  The  mines  are 
now  in  a  bad  state,  though  they  formerly  yielded  about  2000 
pounds  in  weight  of  silver  a  year.  It  has  been  said  that  "a  per- 
son with  a  copper-mine  will  gain  ;  with  silver,  he  may  gain  ;  but 
with  gold,  he  is  sure  to  lose."  This  is  not  true :  all  the  large 
Chilian  fortunes  have  been  made  by  mines  of  the  more  precious 
metals.  A  short  time  since  an  P^nglish  physician  returned  to 
England  from  Copiapo,  taking  with  him  the  profits  of  one  share 
in  a  silver-mine,  which  amounted  to  about  24,000  pounds  ster- 
ling. No  dov  bt  a  copper-mine  with  care  is  a  sure  game,  whereas 
the  other  is  gambling,  or  rather  taking  a  ticket  in  a  lottery.  The 
owners  lose  great  quantities  of  rich  ores ;  for  no  precautions  can 
prevent  robberies.  I  heard  of  a  gentleman  laying  a  bet  with 
another,  that  one  of  his  men  should  rob  him  before  his  face. 
The  ore  when  brought  out  of  the  mine  is  broken  into  pieces,  and 
the  useless  stone  thrown  on  one  side.  A  couple  of  the  miners 
who  were  thus  employed,  pitched,  as  if  by  accident,  two  frag- 
ments away  at  the  same  moment,  and  then  cried  out  for  a  joke, 
"  Let  us  see  which  rolls  furthest."  The  owner,  who  was  stand- 
ing by,  bet  a  cigar  with  his  friend  on  the  race.  The  miner  by 
this  means  watched  the  very  point  amongst  the  rubbish  where 
the  stone  lay.  In  the  evening  he  picked  it  up  and  carried  it  to 
his  master,  showing  him  a  rich  mass  of  silver-ore,  and  saying, 
"  This  was  the  stone  on  which  you  won  a  cigar  by  its  rolling  so 
far." 

May  23rd. — We  descended  into  the  fertile  valley  of  Coquimbo, 
ind  followed  it  till  we  reached  an  Hacienda  belonging  to  a  rela- 
tion of  Don  Jose,  where  we  stayed  the  next  day.  I  then  rode 
one  day's  journey  further,  to  see  what  were  declared  to  be  some 
petrified  shells  and  beans,  which  latter  turned  out  to  be  small 
quartz  pebbles.  We  passed  through  several  small  villages  ;  and 
the  valley  was  beautifully  cultivated,  and  the  whole  scenery  very 
grand.  We  were  here  near  the  main  Cordillera,  and  the  sur- 
rounding hills  were  lofty.  In  all  parts  of  northern  Chile,  fruit- 
trees  produce  much  more  abundantly  at  a  considerable  height 


1835.]  DESERT   COUNTRY.  347 

near  the  Andes  than  in  the  lower  country.  The  figs  and  grapes 
of  this  district  are  famous  for  their  excellence,  and  are  cultivated 
to  a  great  extent.  This  valley  is,  perhaps,  the  most  productive 
one  north  of  Quillota:  I  believe  it  contains,  including  Co- 
quimbo,  25,000  inhabitants.  The  next  day  I  returned  to  the 
Hacienda,  and  thence,  together  with  Don  Jose,  to  Coquimbo. 

June  2nd. — We  set  out  for  the  valley  of  Guasco,  following  the 
coast-road,  which  was  considered  rather  less  desert  than  the  other. 
Our  first  da)  's  ride  was  to  a  solitary  house,  called  Yerba  Buena, 
where  there  was  pasture  for  our  horses.  The  shower  mentioned 
as  having  fallen  a  fortnight  ago,  only  reached  about  halfway  to 
Guasco ;  we  had,  therefore,  in  the  first  part  of  our  journey  a 
most  faint  tinge  of  green,  which  soon  faded  quite  away.  Even 
where  brightest,  it  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  remind  one  of  the 
fresh  turf  and  budding  flowers  of  the  spring  of  other  countries. 
While  travelling  through  these  deserts  one  feels  like  a  prisoner 
shut  up  in  a  gloomy  court,  who  longs  to  see  something  green 
and  to  smell  a  moist  atmosphere. 

June  3rd.— Yerba  Buena  to  Carizal.  During  the  first  part  of 
the  day  we  crossed  a  mountainous  rocky  desert,  and  afterwards 
a  long  deep  sandy  plain,  strewed  with  broken  sea-shells.  There 
was  very  little  water,  and  that  little  saline  :  the  whole  country, 
from  the  coast  to  the  Cordillera,  is  an  uninhabited  desert.  I 
saw  traces  only  of  one  living  animal  in  abundance,  namely,  the 
shells  of  a  Bulimus,  which  were  collected  together  in  extraordi- 
nary numbers  on  the  driest  spots.  In  the  spring  one  humble  little 
plant  sends  out  a  few  leaves,  and  on  these  the  snails  feed.  As 
they  are  seen  only  very  early  in  the  morning,  when  the  ground  is 
slightly  damp  with  dew,  the  Guasos  believe  that  they  are  bred 
from  it.  I  have  observed  in  other  places  that  extremely  dry  and 
sterile  districts,  where  the  soil  is  calcareous,  are  extraordinarily 
favourable  to  land-shells.  At  Carizal  there  were  a  few  cottages, 
some  brackish  water,  and  a  trace  of  cultivation  :  but  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  we  purchased  a  little  corn  and  straw  for  oui 
horses. 

4th. — Carizal  to  Sauce.  We  continued  to  ride  over  desert 
plains,  tenanted  b)  large  herds  of  guanaco.  We  crossed  also 
the  valley  of  Chafieral ;  which,  although  the  most  fertile  one 
between  G  uasco  and  Coquimbo,  is  very  narrow,  and  produces  so 


NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 


little  pasture,  that  we  could  not  purchase  any  for  our  horses. 
At  Sauce  we  found  a  very  civil  old  gentleman,  superintending  a 
copper-smelting  furnace.  As  an  especial  favour,  he  allowed  me 
to  purchase  at  a  high  price  an  armful  of  dirty  straw,  which  was 
all  the  poor  horses  had  for  supper  after  their  long  day's  journey. 
Few  smelting-furnaces  are  now  at  work  in  any  part  of  Chile  ;  it 
is  found  more  profitable,  on  account  of  the  extreme  scarcity  of 
firewood,  and  from  the  Chilian  method  of  reduction  being  so 
unskilful,  to  ship  the  ore  for  Swansea.  The  next  day  we  crossed 
some  mountains  to  Freyrina,  in  the  valley  of  Guasco.  During 
each  day's  ride  further  northward,  the  vegetation  became  more 
and  more  scanty  ;  even  the  great  chandelier-like  cactus  was  here 
replaced  by  a  different  and  mucli  smaller  species.  During  the 
winter  months,  both  in  northern  Chile  and  in  Peru,  a  uniform 
bank  of  clouds  hangs,  at  no  great  height,  over  the  Pacific. 
From  the  mountains  we  had  a  very  striking  view  of  this  white 
and  brilliant  aerial-field,  which  sent  arms  up  the  valleys,  leaving 
islands  and  promontories  in  the  same  manner,  as  the  sea  does  in 
the  Chonos  archipelago  and  in  Tierra  del  Fuego. 

We  stayed  two  days  at  Freyrina.  In  the  valley  of  Guasco 
there  are  four  small  towns.  At  the  mouth  there  is  the  port,  a 
spot  entirely  desert,  and  without  any  water  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood.  Five  leagues  higher  up  stands  Freyrina,  a  long 
straggling  village,  with  decent  whitewashed  houses.  Again,  ten 
leagues  further  up  Ballenar  is  situated ;  and  above  this  Guasco 
Alto,  a  horticultural  village,  famous  for  its  dried  fruit.  On  a 
clear  day  the  view  up  the  valley  is  very  fine ;  the  straight  open- 
ing terminates  in  the  far-distant  snowy  Cordillera ;  on  each  side 
an  infinity  of  crossing  lines  are  blended  together  in  a  beautiful 
haze.  The  foreground  is  singular  from  the  number  of  parallel 
and  step-formed  terraces ;  and  the  included  strip  of  green  valley, 
with  its  willow-bushes,  is  contrasted  on  both  hands  with  the  naked 
hills.  That  the  surrounding  country  was  most  barren  will  be 
readily  believed,  when  it  is  known  that  a  shower  of  rain  had  not 
fallen  during  the  last  thirteen  months.  The  inhabitants  heard 
with  the  greatest  envy  of  the  rain  at  Coquimbo ;  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  sky  they  had  hopes  of  equally  good  fortune, 
which,  a  fortnight  afterwards,  were  realized.  I  was  at  Copiapo 
at  the  time ;  and  there  the  people,  with  equal  envy,  talked  of 


1835.]  VALLEY   OF   GUASCO.  349 

the  abundant  rain  at  Guasco.  After  two  or  three  very  dry  years, 
perhaps  with  not  more  than  one  shower  during  the  whole  time, 
a  rainy  year  generally  follows ;  and  this  does  more  harm  than 
even  the  drought.  The  rivers  swell,  and  cover  with  gravel  and 
sand  the  narrow  strips  of  ground,  which  alone  are  fit  for  culti- 
vation. The  floods  also  injure  the  irrigating  ditches.  Great 
devastation  had  thus  been  caused  three  years  ago. 

June  8th. — We  rode  on  to  Ballenar,  which  takes  its  name 
from  Ballenagh  in  Ireland,  the  birthplace  of  the  family  of 
O'Higgins,  who,  under  the  Spanish  government,  were  presidents 
and  generals  in  Chile.  As  the  rocky  mountains  on  each  hand 
were  concealed  by  clouds,  the  terrace-like  plains  gave  to  the 
valley  an  appearance  like  that  of  Santa  Cruz  in  Patagonia.  After 
spending  one  day  at  Ballenar  I  set  out,  on  the  10th,  for  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley  of  Copiapo.  We  rode  all  day  over  an 
uninteresting  country.  I  am  tired  of  repeating  the  epithets 
barren  and  sterile.  These  words,  however,  as  commonly  used, 
are  comparative  ;  I  have  always  applied  them  to  the  plains  of 
Patagonia,  which  can  boast  of  spiny  bushes  and  some  tufts  of 
grass ;  and  this  is  absolute  fertility,  as  compared  with  northern 
Chile.  Here  again,  there  are  not  many  spaces  of  two  hundred 
yards  square,  where  some  little  bush,  cactus  or  lichen,  may  not 
be  discovered  by  careful  examination  ;  and  in  the  soil  seeds  lie 
dormant  ready  to  spring  up  during  the  first  rainy  winter.  In 
Peru  real  deserts  occur  over  wide  tracts  of  country.  In  the 
evening  wo  arrived  at  a  valley,  in  which  the  bed  of  the  streamlet 
was  damp :  following  it  up,  we  came  to  tolerably  good  water. 
During  the  night,  the  stream,  from  not  being  evaporated  and 
absorbed  so  quickly,  flows  a  league  lower  down  than  during  the 
day.  Sticks  were  plentiful  for  firewood,  so  that  it  was  a  good 
place  of  bivouac  for  us ;  but  for  the  poor  animals  there  was  not 
a  mouthful  to  eat. 

June  llth. — We  rode  without  stopping  for  twelve  hours,  till 
we  reached  an  old  smelting-furnace,  where  there  was  water  «uid 
firewood  ;  but  our  horses  again  had  nothing  to  eat,  being  shut  up 
in  an  old  courtyard.  The  line  of  road  was  hilly,  and  the  dis- 
tant views  interesting  from  the  varied  colours  of  the  bare  moun- 
tains. It  was  almost  a  pity  to  see  the  sun  shining  constantly 
over  so  useless  a  country :  such  splendid  weather  ought  to 


350  NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

have  brightened  fields  and  pretty  gardens.  The  next  day  we 
reached  the  valley  of  Copiapo.  I  was  heartily  glad  of  it ;  for 
the  whole  journey  was  a  continued  source  of  anxiety ;  it  was 
most  disagreeable  to  hear,  whilst  eating  our  own  suppers,  oui 
horses  gnawing  the  posts  to  which  they  were  tied,  and  to  have  no 
means  of  relieving  their  hunger.  To  all  appearance,  however, 
the  animals  were  quite  fresh  ;  and  no  one  could  have  told  that 
they  had  eaten  nothing  for  the  last  fifty-five  hours. 

L  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Bingley,  who  received 
me  very  kindly  at  the  Hacienda  of  Potrero  Seco.  This  estate  is 
between  twenty  and  thirty  miles  long,  but  very  narrow,  being 
generally  only  two  fields  wide,  one  on  each  side  the  river.  In 
some  parts  the  estate  is  of  no  width,  that  is  to  say,  the  land  can- 
not be  irrigated,  and  therefore  is  valueless,  like  the  surrounding 
rocky  desert.  The  small  quantity  of  cultivated  land  in  the  whole 
line  of  valley,  does  not  so  much  depend  on  inequalities  of  level, 
and  consequent  unfitness  for  irrigation,  as  on  the  small  supply  of 
water.  The  river  this  year  was  remarkably  full :  here,  high  up 
the  valley,  it  reached  to  the  horse's  belly,  and  was  about  fifteen 
yards  wide,  and  rapid ;  lower  down  it  becomes  smaller  and 
smaller,  and  is  generally  quite  lost,  as  happened  during  one 
period  of  thirty  years,  so  that  not  a  drop  entered  the  sea.  The 
inhabitants  watch  a  storm  over  the  Cordillera  with  great  interest ; 
as  one  good  fall  of  snow  provides  them  with  water  for  the  ensu- 
ing year.  This  is  of  infinitely  more  consequence  than  rain  in 
the  lower  country.  Rain,  as  often  as  it  falls,  which  is  about 
once  in  every  two  or  three  years,  is  a  great  advantage,  because 
the  cattle  and  mules  can  for  some  time  afterwards  find  a  little 
pasture  on  the  mountains.  But  without  snow  on  the  Andes, 
desolation  extends  throughout  the  valley.  It  is  on  record  that 
three  times  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  have  been  obliged  to 
emigrate  to  the  south.  This  year  there  was  plenty  of  water,  and 
every  man  irrigated  his  ground  as  much  as  he  chose ;  but  it  has 
frequently  been  necessary  to  post  soldiers  at  the  sluices,  to  see 
that  each  estate  took  only  its  proper  allowance  during  so  many 
hours  in  the  week.  The  valley  is  said  to  contain  12,000  souis, 
but  its  produce  is  sufficient  only  for  three  months  in  the  year ; 
the  rest  of  the  supply  being  drawn  from  Valparaiso  and  the  south. 
Before  the  discovery  of  the  famous  silver-mines  of  Chanuncillo, 


1835.]  RAIN  AND   EARTHQUAKES.  351 

Copiapo  was  in  a  rapid  state  of  decay;  but  now  it  is  in  a  very 
thriving  condition  ;  and  the  town,  which  was  completely  over- 
thrown by  an  earthquake,  has  been  rebuilt. 

The  valley  of  Copiapo,  forming  a  mere  ribbon  of  green  in  a 
desert,  runs  in  a  very  southerly  direction ;  so  that  it  is  of  consi 
derable  length  to  its  source  in  the  Cordillera.  The  valleys  of  Guas- 
co  and  Copiapo  may  both  be  considered  as  long  narrow  islands, 
separated  from  the  rest  of  Chile  by  deserts  of  rock  instead  of  by 
salt  water.  Northward  of  these,  there  is  one  other  very  miserable 
valley,  called  Paposo,  which  contains  about  two  hundred  souls  ; 
and  then  there  extends  the  real  desert  of  Atacama — a  barrier 
far  worse  than  the  most  turbulent  ocean.  After  staying  a  few 
days  at  Potrero  Seco,  I  proceeded  up  the  valley  to  the  house  of 
Don  Beriito  Cruz,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction.  I 
found  him  most  hospitable ;  indeed  it  is  impossible  to  bear  too 
strong  testimony  to  the  kindness,  with  which  travellers  are  re- 
ceived in  almost  every  part  of  South  America.  The  next  day  I 
hired  some  mules  to  take  me  by  the  ravine  of  Jolquera  into  the 
central  Cordillera.  On  the  second  night  the  weather  seemed  to 
foretel  a  storm  of  snow  or  rain,  and  whilst  lying  in  our  beds  we 
felt  a  trifling  shock  of  an  earthquake. 

The  connexion  between  earthquakes  and  the  weather  has  been 
often  disputed :  it  appears  to  me  to  be  a  point  of  great  interest, 
which  is'little  understood.  Humboldt  has  remarked  in  one  part 
of  the  Personal  Narrative,*  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  any 
person  who  had  long  resided  in  New  Andalusia,  or  in  Lower 
Peru,  to  deny  that  there  exists  some  connexion  between  these 
phenomena :  in  another  part,  however,  he  seems  to  think  the 
connexion  fanciful.  At  Guayaquil,  it  is  said  that  a  heavy  shower 
in  the  dry  season  is  invariably  followed  by  an  earthquake.  In 
Northern  Chile,  from  the  extreme  infrequency  of  rain,  or  even 
of  weather  foreboding  rain,  the  probability  of  accidental  coin- 
cidences becomes  very  small ;  yet  the  inhabitants  are  here  most 
firmly  convinced  of  some  connexion  between  the  state  of  the 

*  Vol.  iv.  p.  11,  and  vol.  ii.  p.  217.  For  the  remarks  on  Guayaquil  see 
Sillimau's  Jourii.  vol.  xxiv.  p.  384.  For  those  on  Taciia  by  Mr.  Hamilton, 
see  Trans,  of  British  Association,  1840.  For  those  on  Coseguina  see  Mr. 
Caldcleugh  in  Phil.  Trans.,  1835.  In  the  former  edition,  I  collected  several 
references  on  tiie  coincidences  between  sudden  fulls  in  the  barometer  and 
earthquakes  ;  and  between  earthquakes  and  meteors. 


NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 


atmosphere  and  of  the  trembling  of  the  ground  :  I  was  much 
struck  by  this,  when  mentioning  to  some  people  at  Copiapo  that 
there  had  been  a  sharp  shock  at  Coquimbo  :  they  immediately 
cried  out,  "  How  fortuna'te !  there  will  be  plenty  of  pasture 
there  this  year."  To  their  minds  an  earthquake  foretold  rain, 
as  surely  as  rain  foretold  abundant  pasture.  Certainly  it  did  so 
happen  that  on  the  very  day  of  the  earthquake,  that  shower  of  rain 
fell,  which  I  have  described  as  in  ten  days'  time  producing  a  thin 
sprinkling  of  grass.  At  other  times,  rain  has  followed  earth- 
quakes, at  a  period  of  the  year  when  it  is  a  far  greater  prodigy 
than  the  earthquake  itself:  this  happened  after  the  shock  of 
November,  1822,  and  again  in  1829,  at  Valparaiso ;  also  after 
that  of  September,  1833,  at  Tacna.  A  person  must  be  some- 
what habituated  to  the  climate  of  these  countries,  to  perceive 
the  extreme  improbability  of  rain  falling  at  such  seasons,  except 
as  a  consequence  of  some  law  quite  unconnected  with  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  the  weather.  In  the  cases  of  great  volcanic 
eruptions,  as  that  of  Coseguina,  where  torrents  of  rain  fell  at  a 
time  of  the  year  most  unusual  for  it,  and  "almost  unprecedented 
in  Central  America,"  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  the 
volumes  of  vapour  and  clouds  of  ashes  might  have  disturbed  the 
atmospheric  equilibrium.  Humboldt  extends  this  view  to  the 
case  of  earthquakes  unaccompanied  by  eruptions ;  but  I  can 
hardly  conceive  it  possible,  that  the  small  quantity  of  aeriform 
fluids  which  then  escape  from  the  fissured  ground,  can  produce 
such  remarkable  effects.  There  appears  much  probability  in 
the  view  first  proposed  by  Mr.  P.  Scrope,  that  when  the  baro- 
meter is  low,  and  when  ram  might  naturally  be  expected  to  fall, 
the  diminished  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  over  a  wide  extent  of 
country,  might  well  determine  the  precise  day  on  which  the 
earth,  already  stretched  to  the  utmost  by  the  subterranean  forces, 
should  yield,  crack,  and  consequently  tremble.  It  is,  however, 
doubtful  how  far  this  idea  will  explain  the  circumstance  of 
torrents  of  rain  falling  in  the  dry  season  during  several  days, 
after  an  earthquake  unaccompanied  by  an  eruption ;  such  cases 
seem  to  bespeak  some  more  intimate  connexion  between  the 
atmospheric  and  subterranean  regions. 

Finding  little  of  interest  in  this  part  of  the  ravine,  we  retraced 
our  steps  to  the  house  of  Don  Kenito,  where  I  stayed  two  days 


1835.]  HYDROPHOBIA. 


collecting  fossil  shells  and  wood.  Great  prostrate  silicified 
trunks  of  trees,  embedded  in  u  conglomerate,  were  extraordi- 
narily numerous.  I  measured  one,  which  was  fifteen  feet  in 
circumference  :  how  surprising  it  is  that  every  atom  of  the  woody 
matter  in  this  great  cylinder  should  have  been  removed  and  re- 
placed by  silex  so  perfectly,  that  each  vessel  and  pore  is  pre- 
served !  These  trees  flourished  at  about  the  period  of  our  lower 
chalk ;  they  all  belonged  to  the  fir-tribe.  It  was  amusing  to 
hear  the  inhabitants  discussing  the  nature  of  the  fossil  shells 
which  I  collected,  almost  in  the  same  terms  as  were  used  a  cen- 
tury ago  in  Europe, — namely,  whether  or  not  they  had  been  thus 
"  born  by  nature."  My  geological  examination  of  the  country 
generally  created  a  good  deal  of  surprise  amongst  the  Chilenos : 
it  was  long  before  they  could  be  convinced  that  I  was  not  hunt- 
ing for  mines.  This  was  sometimes  troublesome :  I  found  the 
most  ready  way  of  explaining  my  employment,  was  to  ask  them 
how  it  was  that  they  themselves  were  not  curious  concerning 
earthquakes  and  volcanos? — why  some  springs  were  hot  and 
others  cold?  —  why  there  were  mountains  in  Chile,  and  not  a  hill 
in  La  Plata?  These  bare  questions  at  once  satisfied  and  silenced 
the  greater  number ;  some,  however  (like  a  few  in  England  who 
are  a  century  behindhand),  thought  that  all  such  inquiries  were 
useless  and  impious  ;  and  that  it  was  quite  sufficient  that  God 
had  thus  made  the  mountains. 

An  order  had  recently  been  issued  that  all  stray  dogs  should 
be  killed,  and  we  saw  many  lying  dead  on  the  road.  A  great 
number  had  lately  gone  mad,  and  several  men  had  been  bitten 
and  had  died  in  consequence.  On  several  occasions  hydrophobia 
has  prevailed  in  this  valley.  It  is  remarkable  thus  to  find  so 
strange  and  dreadful  a  disease,  appearing  time  after  time  in  the 
same  isolated  spot.  It  has  been  remarked  that  certain  villages 
in  England  are  in  like  manner  much  more  subject  to  this  visita- 
tion than  others.  Dr.  Unanue  states  that  hydrophobia  was  first 
known  in  South  America  in  1803:  this  statement  is  corro- 
borated by  Azara  and  Ulloa  having  never  heard  of  it  in  their 
time.  Dr.  Unanue  says  that  it  broke  out  in  Central  America, 
and  slowly  travelled  southward.  It  reached  Arequipa  in  1807 ; 
and  it  is  said  that  some  men  there,  who  had  not  been  bitten,  wero 
affected,  as  were  some  negroes,  who  had  eaten  a  bullock  which 


854  NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

had  died  of  hydrophobia.  At  lea  forty-two  people  thus  mi- 
serably perished.  The  disease  came  on  between  twelve  and  ninety 
days  after  the  bite ;  and  in  those  cases  where  it  did  come  on, 
death  ensued  invariably  within  five  days.  After  1808,  a  long 
interval  ensued  without  any  cases.  On  inquiry,  I  did  not  hear 
of  hydrophobia  in  Van  Diemeri's  Land,  or  in  Australia ;  and  Bur- 
chell  says,  that  during  the  five  years  he  was  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  he  never  heard  of  an  instance  of  it.  Webster 
asserts  that  at  tiie  Azores  hydrophobia  has  never  occurred  ;  and 
the  .same  assertion  has  been  made  with  respect  to  Mauritius  and 
St.  Helena.*  In  so  strange  a  disease,  some  information  might 
possiblv  be  gained  by  considering  the  circumstances  under  which 
it  originates  in  distant  climates ;  for  it  is  improbable  that  a 
dog  already  bitten,  should  have  been  brought  to  these  distant 
countries. 

At  night,  a  stranger  arrived  at  the  house  of  Don  Benito,  and 
asked  permission  to  sleep  there.  He  said  he  had  been  wander- 
ing1 about  the  mountains  for  seventeen  days,  having  lost  his  way, 
He  started  from  Guasco,  and  being  accustomed  to  travelling  in 
the  Cordillera,  did  not  expect  any  difficulty  in  following  the 
track  to  Copiapo ;  but  he  soon  became  involved  in  a  labyrinth 
of  mountains,  whence  he  could  not  escape.  Some  of  his  mules 
had  fallen  over  precipices,  and  he  had  been  in  groat  distress. 
His  chief  difficulty  arose  from  not  knowing  where  to  find  water 
in  the  lower  country,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  keep  bordering 
the  central  ranges. 

We  returned  down  the  valley,  and  on  the  22nd  reached  the 
town  of  Copiapo.  The  lower  part  of  the  valley  is  broad,  form- 
ing a  fine  plain  like  that  of  Quillota.  The  town  covers  a  consi- 
derable space  of  ground,  each  house  possessing  a  garden  :  but  it 
is  an  uncomfortable  place,  and  the  dwellings  are  poorly  fur- 
nished. Every  one  seems  bent  on  the  one  object  of  making  mo- 
ney, and  then  migrating  as  quickly  as  possible.  All  the  inhabit- 
ants are  more  or  less  directly  concerned  with  mines  ;  and  mines 
and  ores  are  the  sole  subjects  of  conversation.  Necessaries  of 

*  Observa.  sobre  el  climade  Lima,  p.  67. — Azara's  Travels,  vol.  i.  p.  381 
— Ulloa's  Voyage,  vol.  ii.  p.  28. — Burchell's  Travels,  vol.  ii.  p.  524. — Web- 
Bter's  Description  of  the  Azores,  p.  124. — Voyage  h  1'Isle  de  France  par  UE 
Oificier  du  Eoi,  tome  i.  p.  248. — Description  of  St.  Helena,  p.  123. 


1835.]  SEA- WORN   VALLEYS.  355 


all  sorts  are  extremely  dear ;  as  the  distance  from  the  town  to 
the  port  is  eighteen  leagues,  and  the  land  carriage  very  expen- 
sive. A  fowl  costs  five  or  six  shillings  ;  meat  is  nearly  as  dear 
as  in  England  ;  firewood,  or  rather  sticks,  are  brought  on  don- 
keys from  a  distance  of  two  and  three  days'  journey  within  the 
Cordillera ;  and  pasturage  for  animals  is  a  shilling  a  day :  all 
this  for  South  America  is  wonderfully  exorbitant. 

June  26th. — I  hired  a  guide  and  eight  mules  to  take  me  into 
the  Cordillera  by  a  different  line  from  my  last  excursion.  As  the 
country  was  utterly  desert,  we  took  a  cargo  and  a  half  of  barley 
mixed  with  chopped  straw.  About  two  leagues  above  the  town, 
a  broad  valley  called  the  "  Despoblado,"  or  uninhabited,  branches 
off  from  that  one  by  which  we  had  arrived.  Although  a  valley 
of  the  grandest  dimensions,  and  leading  to  a  pass  across  the  Cor- 
dillera, yet  it  is  completely  dry,  excepting  perhaps  for  a  few 
days  during  some  very  rainy  winter.  The  sides  of  the  crumbling 
mountains  were  furrowed  by  scarcely  any  ravines ;  and  the  bot- 
tom of  the  main  valley,  filled  with  shingle,  was  smooth  and 
nearly  level.  Ko  considerable  torrent  could  ever  have  flowed 
down  this  bed  of  shingle ;  for  if  it  had,  a  great  cliff-bounded 
channel,  as  in  all  the  southern  valleys,  would  assuredly  have  been 
formed.  I  feel  little  doubt  that  this  valley,  as  well  as  those 
mentioned  by  travellers  in  Peru,  were  left  in  the  state  we  now 
see  them  by  the  waves  of  the  sea,  as  the  land  slowly  rose.  I  ob- 
served in  one  place,  where  the  Despoblado  was  joined  by  a  ravine 
(which  in  almost  any  other  chain  would  have  been  called  a  grand 
valley),  that  its  bed,  though  composed  merely  of  sand  and  gravel, 
was  higher  than  that  of  its  tributary.  A  mere  rivulet  of  water 
in  the  course  of  an  hour,  would  have  cut  a  channel  for  itself; 
but  it  was  evident  that  ages  had  passed  away,  and  no  such  rivulet 
had  drained  this  great  tributary.  It  was  curious  to  behoM  the 
machinery,  if  such  a  term  may  be  used,  for  the  drainage,  all,  with 
the  last  trifling  exception,  perfect,  yet  without  any  signs  of 
action.  Every  one  must  have  remarked  how  mud-banks,  left  by 
the  retiring  tide,  imitate  in  miniature  a  country  with  hill  ana 
dale ;  and  here  we  have  the  original  model  in  rock,  formed  as  the 
continent  rose  during  the  secular  retirement  of  the  ocean,  instead 
of  during  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  tides.  If  a  shower  of 


856  NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

rain  falls  on  the  mud-bank,  when  left  dry,  it  deepens  the  already- 
formed  shallow  lines  of  excavation  ;  and  so  is  it  with  the  rain 
of  successive  centuries  on  the  bank  of  rock  and  soil,  which  we 
call  a  continent. 

We  rode  on  after  it  was  dark,  till  we  reached  a  side  ravine 
with  a  small  well,  called  "  Agua  amarga."  The  water  deserved 
its  name,  for  besides  being  saline  it  was  most  offensively  putrid 
and  bitter ;  so  that  we  could  not  force  ourselves  to  drink  either 
lea  or  mate.  I  suppose  the  distance  from  the  river  of  Copiapo 
to  this  spot  was  at  least  twenty- five  or  thirty  English  miles;  in  the 
whole  space  there  was  not  a  single  drop  of  water,  the  country  de- 
serving the  name  of  desert  in  the  strictest  sense.  Yet  about 
halfway  we  passed  some  old  Indian  ruins  near  Punta  Gorda :  I 
noticed  also  in  front  of  some  of  the  valleys,  which  branch  off 
from  the  Despoblado,  two  piles  of  stones  placed  a  little  way 
apart,  and  directed  so  as  to  point  up  the  mouths  of  these  small 
valleys.  My  companions  knew  nothing  about  them,  and  only 
answered  my  queries  by  their  imperturbable  "  quien  sabe?" 

I  observed  Indian  ruins  in  several  parts  of  the  Cordillera: 
the  most  perfect,  which  I  saw,  were  the  Ruinas  de  Tambillos, 
in  the  Uspallata  Pass.  Small  square  rooms  were  there  huddled 
together  in  separate  groups :  some  of  the  doorways  were  yet 
standing  ;  they  were  formed  by  a  cross  slab  of  stone  only  about 
three  feet  high.  Ulloa  has  remarked  on  the  lowness  of  the  doors 
in  the  ancient  Peruvian  dwellings.  These  houses,  when  per- 
fect, must  have  been  capable  of  containing  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  persons.  Tradition  says,  that  they  were  used  as  halt- 
ing places  for  the  Incas,  when  they  crossed  the  mountains. 
Traces  of  Indian  habitations  have  been  discovered  in  many  other 
parts,  where  it  does  not  appear  probable  that  they  were  used  as 
mere  resting-places,  but  yet  where  the  land  is  as  utterly  unfit  for 
any  kind  of  cultivation  as  it  is  near  the  Tambillos  or  at  the  Incas 
Bridge,  or  in  the  Portillo  Pass,  at  all  which  places  I  saw  ruins. 
In  the  ravine  of  Jajuel,  near  Aconcagua,  where  there  is  no  pass, 
I  heard  of  remains  of  houses  situated  at  a  great  height,  where 
it  is  extremely  cold  and  sterile.  At  first  I  imagined  that  tiiese 
buildings  had  been  places  of  refuge,  built  by  the  Indians  on  the 
first  arrival  of  the  Spaniards ;  but  I  have  since  been  inclined 
to  speculate  on  the  probability  of  a  small  change  of  climate. 


1835.]  ANCIENT   INDIAN   HOUSES.  357 

In  this  northern  part  of  Chile,  within  the  Cordillera,  old 
Indian  houses  are  said  to  be  especially  numerous  :  by  digging 
amongst  the  ruins,  bits  of  woollen  articles,  instruments  of  pre- 
cious metals,  and  heads  of  Indian  corn,  are  not  unfrequently 
discovered :  an  arrow-head  made  of  agate,  and  of  precisely  the 
same  form  with  those  now  used  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  was  given 
me.  I  am  aware  that  the  Peruvian  Indians  now  frequently 
inhabit  most  lofty  and  bleak  situations ;  but  at  Copiapo  I  was 
assured  by  men  who  had  spent  their  lives  in  travelling  through  the 
Andes,  that  there  were  very  many  (muchisimas)  buildings  at 
heights  so  great  as  almost  to  border  on  the  perpetual  snow,  and 
in  parts  where  there  exist  no  passes,  and  where  the  land  pro- 
duces absolutely  nothing,  and  what  is  still  more  extraordinary, 
where  there  is  no  water.  Nevertheless  it  is  the  opinion  of  the 
people  of  the  country  (although  they  are  much  puzzled  by  the 
circumstance),  that,  from  the  appearance  of  the  houses,  the  In- 
dians must  have  used  them  as  places  of  residence.  In  this 
valley,  at  Punta  Gorda,  the  remains  consisted  of  seven  or  eight 
square  little  rooms,  which  were  of  a  similar  form  with  those  at 
Tambillos,  but  built  chiefly  of  mud,  which  the  present  inhabit- 
ants cannot,  either  here  or,  according  to  Ulloa,  in  Peru,  imitate 
in  durability.  They  were  situated  in  the  most  conspicuous  and 
defenceless  position,  at  the  bottom  of  the  flat  broad  valley.  There 
was  no  water  nearer  than  three  or  four  leagues,  and  that  only  in 
very  small  quantity,  and  bad  :  the  soil  was  absolutely  sterile  ;  I 
looked  in  vain  even  for  a  lichnii  adhering  to  the  rocks.  At  the 
present  day,  with  the  advantage  of  beasts  of  burden,  a  mine, 
unless  it  were  very  rich,  could  scarcely  be  worked  here  with 
profit.  Yet  the  Indians  formerly  chose  it  as  a  place  of  resi- 
dence !  If  at  the  present  time  two  or  three  showers  of  rain 
were  to  fall  annually,  instead  of  one,  as  now  is  the  case,  during 
as  many  years,  a  small  rill  of  water  would  probably  be  formed 
in  this  great  valley  ;  and  then,  by  irrigation  (which  was  formerly 
so  well  understood  by  the  Indians),  the  soil  would  easily  be  ren- 
dered sufficiently  productive  to  support  a  few  families. 

I  have  convincing  proofs  that  this  part  of  the  continent  of  South 
America  has  been  elevated  near  the  coast  at  least  from  400  to 
600,  and  in  some  parts  from  1000  to  1300  feet,  since  the  epoch 
of  existing  shells ;  and  further  inland  the  rise  possibly  may  have 


358  NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

been  greater.  As  the  peculiarly  arid  character  of  the  climate  is 
evidently  a  consequence  of  the  height  of  the  Cordillera,  we  may 
feel  almost  sure  that  before  the  later  elevations,  the  atmosphere 
could  riot  have  been  so  completely  drained  of  its  moisture  as  it 
now  is ;  and  as-the  rise  has  been  gradual,  so  would  have  been 
the  change  in  climate.  On  this  notion  of  a  change  of  climate 
since  the  buildings  were  inhabited,  the  ruins  must  be  of  extreme 
antiquity,  but  I  do  not  think  their  preservation  under  the  Chilian 
climate  any  great  difficulty.  We  must  also  admit  on  this  notion, 
(and  this  perhaps  is  a  greater  difficulty)  that  man  has  inhabited 
South  America  for  an  immensely  long  period,  inasmuch  as  any 
change  of  climate  effected  by  the  elevation  of  the  land  must 
have  been  extremely  gradual.  At  Valparaiso,  within  the  last 
220  years,  the  rise  has  been  somewhat  le*s  than  19  feet:  at 
Lima  a  sea-beach  has  certainly  been  upheaved  from  80  to  90  fcet, 
within  the  Indio-human  period  :  but  such  small  elevations  could 
have  had  little  power  in  deflecting  the  moisture-bringing  atmos- 
pheric currents.  Dr.  Lund,  however,  found  human  skeletons 
in  the  caves  of  Brazil,  the  appearance  of  which  induced  him  to 
believe  that  the  Indian  race  has  existed  during  a  vast  lapse  of 
time  in  South  America. 

When  at  Lima,  I  conversed  on  these  subjects*  with  Mr.  Gill, 
a  civil  engineer,  who  had  seen  much  of  the  interior  country.  He 
told  me  that  a  conjecture  of  a  change  of  climate  had  some- 
times crossed  his  mind  ;  but  that  he  thought  that  the  greater 
portion  of  land,  now  incapable  of  cultivation,  but  covered  with 
Indian  ruins,  had  been  reduced  to  this  state  by  the  water-con- 
duits, which  the  Indians  formerly  constructed  on  so  wonderful 
a  scale,  having  been  injured  by  neglect  and  by  subterranean 
movements.  I  may  here  mention,  that  the  Pei'uvians  actually 
carried  their  irrigating  streams  in  tunnels  through  hills  of  solid 
rock.  Mr.  Gill  told  me,  he  had  been  employed  professionally  to 
examine  one ;  he  found  the  passage  low,  narrow,  crooked,  and 
not  of  uniform  breadth,  but  of  very  considerable  length.  Is  it 

*  Temple,  in  his  travels  through  Upper  Peru,  or  Bolivia,  in  going  from 
Potosi  to  Oruro,  says,  "  I  saw  many  Indian  villages  or  dwellings  in  ruins, 
up  even  to  the  very  tops  of  the  mountains,  attesting  a  former  population 
where  now  all  is  desolate."  He  makes  similar  remarks  in  another  place ; 
but  I  cannot  tell  whether  this  desolation  has  been  caused  by  a  want  of  po]>u< 
lation,  or  by  an  altered  condition  of  the  land. 


1835.]  ELEVATION   OF   A   RIVER-COURSE.  359 

not  most  wonderful  that  men  should  have  attempted  such  opera- 
tions, without  the  use  of  iron  or  gunpowder?  Mr.  Gill  also 
mentioned  to  me  a  most  interesting,  and,  as  far  as  I  am  aware, 
quite  unparalleled  case,  of  a  subterranean  disturbance  having 
cnanged  the  drainage  of  a  country.  Travelling  from  Casma  to 
Huaraz  (not  very  far  distant  from  Lima),  he  found  a  plain 
covered  with  ruins  and  marks  of  ancient  cultivation,  but  now 
quite  barren.  Near  it  was  the  dry  course  of  a  considerable 
river,  whence  the  water  for  irrigation  had  formerly  been  con- 
ducted. There  was  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  water- 
course, to  indicate  that  the  river  had  not  flowed  there  a  few 
years  previously ;  in  some  parts,  beds  of  sand  and  gravel  were 
spread  out ;  in  others,  the  solid  rock  had  been  worn  into  a  broad 
channel,  which  in  one  spot  was  about  40  yards  in  breadth  and 
8  feet  deep.  It  is  self-evident  that  a  person  following  up  the 
course  of  a  stream,  will  always  ascend  at  a  greater  or  less  incli- 
nation :  Mr.  Gill,  therefore,  was  much  astonished,  when  walk- 
ing up  the  bed  of  this  ancient  river,  to  find  himself  suddenly 
going  down  hill.  He  imagined  that  the  downward  slope  had  a 
fall  of  about  40  or  50  feet  perpendicular.  We  here  have  un- 
equivocal evidence  that  a  ridge  had  been  uplifted  right  across 
the  old  bed  of  a  stream.  From  the  moment  the  river-course 
was  thus  arched,  the  water  must  necessarily  have  been  thrown 
back,  and  a  new  channel  formed.  From  that  moment,  also,  the 
neighbouring  plain  must  have  lost  its  fertilizing  stream,  and 
become  a  desert. 

June  27th. — We  set  out  early  in  the  morning,  and  by  mid-day 
reached  the  ravine  of  Paypote,  where  there  is  a  tiny  rill  of  water, 
with  a  little  vegetation,  and  even  a  few  algarroba  trees,  a  kind  of 
mimosa.  From  having  fire-wood,  a  smelting-furnace  had  for- 
merly been  built  here :  we  found  a  solitary  man  in  charge  of  it, 
whose  sole  employment  was  hunting  guanacos.  At  night  it  froze 
sharply ;  but  having  plenty  of  wood  for  our  fire,  we  kept  ourselv es 
warm. 

28th. — We  continued  gradually  ascending,  and  the  valley  now 

changed  into  a  ravine.   During  the  day  we  saw  several  guanacos, 

and  the  track  of  the  closely-allied  species,  the  Vicuna :  this  latter 

animal  is  pre-eminently  alpine  in  its  habits ;  it  seldom  descends 

24 


NORTHERN   CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 


much  below  the  limit  of  perpetual  snow,  and  therefore  haunts 
even  a  more  lofty  and  sterile  situation  than  the  guanaco.  The 
only  other  animal  which  we  saw  in  any  number  was  a  small  fox  : 
I  suppose  this  animal  preys  on  the  mice  and  other  small  rodents, 
which,  as  long  as  there  is  the  least  vegelation,  subsist  in  consi- 
derable numbers  in  very  desert  places.  In  Patagonia,  even  on 
the  borders  of  the  salinas,  where  a  drop  of  fresh  water  can  never 
be  found,  excepting  dew,  these  little  animals  swarm.  Next  to 
lizards,  mice  appear  to  be  able  to  support  existence  on  the 
smallest  and  driest  portions  of  the  earth, — even  on  islets  in 
the.  midst  of  great  oceans. 

The  scene  on  all  sides  showed  desolation,  brightened  and  made 
palpable  by  a  clear,  unclouded  sky.  For  a  time  such  scenery 
is  sublime,  but  this  feeling  cannot  last,  and  then  it  becomes  un- 
interesting. We  bivouacked  at  the  foot  of  the  "  primera  linea," 
or  the  first  line  of  the  partition  of  the  waters.  The  streams, 
however,  on  the  east  side  do  not  flow  to  the  Atlantic,  but  into  an 
elevated  district,  in  the  middle  of  which  there  is  a  large  salina, 
or  salt  lake  ; — thus  forming  a  little  Caspian  Sea  at  the  height, 
perhaps,  of  ten  thousand  feet.  Where  we  slept,  there  were  some 
considerable  patches  of  snow,  but  they  do  not  remain  throughout 
the  year.  The  winds  in  these  lofty  regions  obey  very  regular 
laws :  every  day  a  fresh  breeze  blows  up  the  valley,  and  at  night, 
an  hour  or  two  after  sunset,  the  air  from  the  cold  regions  above 
descends  as  through  a  funnel.  This  night  it  blew  a  gale  of  wind, 
and  the  temperature  must  have  been  considerably  below  the 
freezing-point,  for  water  in  a  vessel  soon  became  a  block  of  ice. 
No  clothes  seemed  to  oppose  any  obstacle  to  the  air ;  I  suffered 
very  much  from  the  cold,  so  that  I  could  not  sleep,  and  in  the 
morning  rose  with  my  body  quite  dull  and  benumbed. 

In  the  Cordillera  further  southward,  people  lose  their  lives 
from  snow-storms ;  here,  it  sometimes  happens  from  another 
cause.  My  guide,  when  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  old,  was  passing 
the  Cordillera  with  a  party  in  the  month  of  May  ;  and  while  in 
the  central  parts,  a  furious  gale  of  wind  arose,  so  that  the  men 
could  hardly  cling  on  their  mules,  and  stones  were  flying  along 
the  ground.  The  day  was  cloudless,  and  not  a  speck  of  snow  fell, 
but  the  temperature  was  low.  It  is  probable  that  the  thermo- 
meter would  not  have  stood  very  many  degrees  below  the  freeze 


1835.]  EL   BRAMADOR. 


ing-point,  but  the  effect  on  their  bodies,  ill  protected  by  clothing, 
must  have  been  in  proportion  to  the  rapidity  of  the  current  of  cold 
air.  The  gale  lasted  for  more  than  a  day  ;  the  men  began  to  lose 
their  strength,  and  the  mules  would  not  move  onwards.  My 
guide's  brother  tried  to  return,  but  he  perished,  and  his  body  was 
found  two  years  afterwards,  lying  by  the  side  of  his  mule  near 
the  road,  with  the  bridle  still  in  his  hand.  Two  other  men  in 
the  party  lost  their  fingers  and  toes ;  and  out  of  two  hundred 
mules  and  thirty  cows,  only  fourteen  mules  escaped  alive.  Many 
years  ago  the  whole  of  a  large  party  are  supposed  to  have  perished 
from  a  similar  cause,  but  their  bodies  to  this  day  have  never  been 
discovered.  The  union  of  a  cloudless  sky,  low  temperature,  ami 
a  furious  gale  of  wind,  must  be,  I  should  think,  in  all  parts  of 
the  world,  an  unusual  occurrence. 

June  29th. — We  gladly  travelled  down  the  valley  to  our  for- 
mer night's  lodging,  and  thence  to  near  the  Agua  amarga.  On 
July  1st  we  reached  the  valley  of  Copiapo.  The  smell  of  the 
fresh  clover  was  quite  delightful,  after  the  scentless  air  of  the 
dry  sterile  Despoblado.  Whilst  staying  in  the  town  I  heard  an 
account  from  several  of  the  inhabitants,  of  a  hill  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood which  they  called  "  El  Bramador," — the  roarer  or 
bellower.  I  did  not  at  the  time  pay  sufficient  attention  to  the 
account ;  but,  as  far  as  I  understood,  the  hill  was  covered  by 
sand,  and  the  noise  was  produced  only  when  people,  by  ascending 
it,  put  the  sand  in  motion.  The  same  circumstances  are  described 
in  detail  on  the  authority  of  Seetzen  and  Ehrenberg,*  as  the 
cause  of  the  sounds  which  have  been  heard  by  many  travellers  on 
Mount  Sinai  near  the  Red  Sea.  One  person  with  whom  I  con- 
versed, had  himself  heard  the  noise  ;  he  described  it  as  very  sur- 
prising; and  he  distinctly  stated  that,  although  he  could  not 
understand  how  it  was  caused,  yet  it  was  necessary  to  set  the  sand 
rolling  down  the  acclivity.  A  horse  walking  over  dry  and  coarse 
sand,  causes  a  peculiar  chirping  noise  from  the  friction  of  the 
particles ;  a  circumstance  which  I  several  times  noticed  on  the 
coast  of  Brazil. 

Three  days  afterwards  I  heard  of  the  Beagle's  arrival  at  the 

*  Edinburgh  Phil.  Journ.,  Jan.  1830,  p.  74;  and  April,  1830,  p.  258.— 
Also  Daubeny  on  Volcanoes,  p.  438 ;  and  Bengal  Joum.,  vol.  vii.  p.  324. 


362  PERU.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

Port,  distant  eighteen  leagues  from  the  town.  There  is  very 
little  land  cultivated  down  the  valley ;  its  wide  expanse  supports 
a  wretched  wiry  grass,  which  even  the  donkeys  can  hardly  eat. 
This  poorness  of  the  vegetation  is  owing  to  the  quantity  of  saline 
matter  with  which  the  soil  is  impregnated.  The  Port  consists  of 
an  assemblage  of  miserable  little  hovels,  situated  at  the  foot  of  a 
sterile  plain.  At  present,  as  the  river  contains  water  enough  to 
reach  the  sea,  the  inhabitants  enjoy  the  advantage  of  having  fresh 
water  within  a  mile  and  a  half.  On  the  beach  there  were  large 
piles  of  merchandise,  and  the  little  place  had  an  air  of  activity. 
In  the  evening  I  gave  my  adios,  with  a  hearty  good-will,  to  my 
companion  Mariano  Gonzales,  with  whom  I  had  ridden  so  many 
leagues  in  Chile.  The  next  morning  the  Beagle  sailed  for 
Iquique. 

July  I2tk. — We  anchored  in  the  port  of  Iquique,  in  lat. 
20°  12',  on  the  coast  of  Peru.  The  town  contains  about  a  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  and  stands  on  a  little  plain  of  sand  at  the  foot 
of  a  great  wall  of  rock,  2000  feet  in  height,  here  forming  the 
coast.  The  whole  is  utterly  desert.  A  light  shower  of  rain  falls 
only  once  in  very  many  years  ;  and  the  ravines  consequently  are 
filled  with  detritus,  and  the  mountain-sides  covered  by  piles  of 
fine  white  sand,  even  to  a  height  of  a  thousand  foot.  During  this 
season  of  the  year  a  heavy  bank  of  clouds,  stretched  over  the 
ocean,  seldom  rises  above  the  wall  of  rocks  on  the  coast.  The 
aspect  of  the  place  was  most  gloomy  ;  the  little  port,  with  its  few 
vessels,  and  small  group  of  wretched  houses,  seemed  overwhelmed 
and  out  of  all  proportion  with  the  rest  of  the  scene. 

The  inhabitants  live  like  persons  on  board  a  ship:  every  ne- 
cessary comes  from  a  distance :  water  is  brought  in  boats  from 
Pisagua,  about  forty  miles  northward,  and  is  sold  at  the  rate  of 
nine  reals  (4*.  6d.)  an  eighteen-gallon  cask :  I  bought  a  wine- 
bottle  full  for  threepence.  In  like  manner  firewood,  and  of  course 
every  article  of  food,  is  imported.  Very  few  animals  can  be 
maintained  in  such  a  place :  on  the  ensuing  morning  I  hired  witli 
difficulty,  at  the  price  of  four  pounds  sterling,  two  mules  and  a 
guide  to  take  me  to  the  nitrate  of  soda  works.  These  are  at 
present  the  support  of  Iquique.  This  salt  was  first  exported  in 
1830:  in  one  year  an  amount  in  value  of  one  hundred  thousand 


1835.]  IQUIQUE.— SALTPETRE-WORKS.  363 

pounds  sterling,  was  sent  to  France  and  England.  It  is  princi- 
pally used  as  a  manure  and  in  the  manufacture  of  nitric  acid :  owing 
to  its  deliquescent  property  it  will  not  serve  for  gunpowder.  For- 
merly there  were  two  exceedingly  rich  silver-mines  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, but  their  produce  is  now  very  small. 

Our  arrival  in  the  offing  caused  some  little  apprehension.  Peru 
was  in  a  state  of  anarchy ;  and  each  party  having  demanded  a 
contribution,  the  poor  town  of  Iquique  was  in  tribulation,  think- 
ing the  evil  hour  was  come.  The  people  had  also  their  domestic 
troubles  ;  a  short  time  before,  three  French  carpenters  had  broken 
open,  during  the  same  night,  the  two  churches,  and  stolen  all  the 
plate :  one  of  the  robbers,  however,  subsequently  confessed,  and 
the  plate  was  recovered.  The  convicts  were  sent  to  Arequipa, 
which,  though  the  capital  of  this  province,  is  two  hundred  leagues 
distant ;  the  government  there  thought  it  a  pity  to  punish  such 
useful  workmen,  who  could  make  all  sorts  of  furniture  ;  and 
accordingly  liberated  them.  Things  being  in  this  state,  the 
churches  were  again  broken  open,  but  this  time  the  plate  was  not 
recovered.  The  inhabitants  became  dreadfully  enraged,  and  de- 
claring that  none  but  heretics  would  thus  "eat  God  Almighty," 
proceeded  to  torture  souae  Englishmen,  with  the  intention  of 
afterwards  shooting  them.  At  last  the  authorities  interfered, 
and  peace  was  established. 

13th. — In  the  morning  I  started  for  the  saltpetre-works,  a  dis- 
tance of  fourteen  leagues.  Having  ascended  the  steep  coast- 
mountains  by  a  zigzag  sandy  track,  we  soon  came  in  view  of  the 
mines  of  Guantajaya  and  St.  Rosa.  These  two  small  villages  an$ 
placed  at  the  very  mouths  of  the  mines ;  and  being  perched  up  on 
hills,  they  had  a  still  more  unnatural  and  desolate  appearance 
than  the  town  of  Iquique.  We  did  not  reach  the  saltpetre-works 
till  after  sunset,  having  ridden  all  day  across  an  undulating  coun- 
try, a  complete  and  utter  desert.  The  road  was  strewed  with  the 
bones  and  dried  skins  of  the  many  beasts  of  burden  which  had 
perished  on  it  from  fatigue.  Excepting  the  Vultur  aura,  which 
preys  on  the  carcasses,  I  saw  neither  bird,  quadruped,  reptile,  nor 
insect.  On  the  coast-mountains,  at  the  height  of  about  2000 
feet,  where  during  this  season  the  clouds  generally  hang,  a  very 
few  cacti  were  growing  in  the  clefts  of  rock  ;  and  the  loose  sand 
was  strewed  over  with  a  lichen,  which  lies  on  the  surface  quit*1 


364  PERU.  [CHAP.  XTI. 

unattached.  This  plant  belongs  to  the  genus  Cladonia,  and  some- 
what resembles  the  reindeer  lichen.  In  some  parts  it  was  in  suf- 
ficient quantity  to  tinge  the  sand,  as  seen  from  a  distance,  of  a 
pale  yellowish  colour.  Further  inland,  during  the  whole  ride  cf 
fourteen  leagues,  I  saw  only  one  other  vegetable  production,  and 
that  was  a  most  minute  yellow  lichen,  growing  on  the  bones  of 
the  dead  mules.  This  was  the  first  true  desert  which  I  had  seen  : 
the  effect  on  me  was  not  impressive  ;  but  I  believe  this  was  owing 
to  my  having  become  gradually  accustomed  to  such  scenes,  as  I 
rode  northward  from  Valparaiso,  through  Coquimbo,  to  Copiapo*. 
The  appearance  of  the  country  was  remarkable,  from  being  co- 
vered by  a  thick  crust  of  common  salt,  and  of  a  stratified  salife- 
rous  alluvium,  which  seems  to  have  been  deposited  as  the  land 
slowly  rose  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  salt  is  white,  very 
hard,  and  compact :  it  occurs  in  water-worn  nodules  projecting 
from  the  agglutinated  sand,  and  is  associated  with  much  gypsum. 
The  appearance  of  this  superficial  mass  very  closely  resembled 
that  of  a  country  after  snow,  before  the  last  dirty  patches  are 
thawed.  The  existence  of  this  crust  of  a  soluble  substance  over 
the  whole  face  of  the  country,  shows  how  extraordinarily  dry  the 
climate  must  have  been  for  a  long  perk>d. 

At  night  I  slept  at  the  house  of  the  owner  of  one  of  the  salt- 
petre mines.  The  country  is  here  as  unproductive  as  near  the 
coast ;  but  water,  having  rather  a  bitter  and  brackish  taste,  can 
be  procured  by  digging  wells.  The  well  at  this  house  was  thirty- 
six  yards  deep  :  as  scarcely  any  rain  falls,  it  is  evident  the  water 
is  not  thus  derived  ;  indeed  if  it  were,  it  could  not  fail  to  be  as 
salt  as  brine,  for  the  whole  surrounding  country  is  incrusted  with 
various  saline  substances.  We  must  therefore  conclude  that  it 
percolates  under  ground  from  the  Cordillera,  though  distant 
many  leagues.  In  that  direction  there  are  a  few  small  villages, 
where  the  inhabitants,  having  more  water,  are  enabled  to  irrigate 
a  little  land,  and  raise  hay,  on  which  the  mules  and  asses,  em- 
ployed in  carrying  the  saltpetre,  are  fed.  The  nitrate  of  soda 
was  now  selling  at  the  ship's  side  at  fourteen  shillings  per  hundred 
pounds  :  the  chief  expense  is  its  transport  to  the  sea-coast.  The 
mine  consists  of  a  hard  stratum,  between  two  and  three  feet  thick, 
of  the  nitrate  minq-led  with  a  little  of  the  sulphate  of  soda  and  a  good 
deal  of  common  salt.  It  lies  close  beneath  the  surface,  and  ibl- 


1835.J  BAY   OF   CALLAO.  365 

lows  for  a  length  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  the  margin  of  a 
grand  basin  or  plain  ;  this,  from  its  outline,  manifestly  must  once 
have  been  a  lake,  or  more  probably  an  inland  arm  of  the  sea,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  the  presence  of  iodic  salts  in  the  saline  stra- 
tum. The  surface  of  the  plain  is  3300  feet  above  the  Pacific. 

19th. — We  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Callao,  the  seaport  of 
Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru.  We  stayed  here  six  weeks,  but  from 
the  troubled  state  of  public  affairs,  I  saw  very  little  of  the  coun- 
try. During  our  whole  visit  the  climate  was  far  from  being  so 
delightful,  as  it  is  generally  represented.  A  dull  heavy  bank  of 
clouds  constantly  hung  over  the  land,  so  that  during  the  first  six- 
teen days  I  had  only  one  view  of  the  Cordillera  behind  Lima. 
These  mountains,  seen  in  stages,  one  above  the  other,  through 
openings  in  the  clouds,  had  a  very  grand  appearance.  It  is  almost 
become  a  proverb,  that  rain  never  falls  in  the  lower  part  of  Peru. 
Yet  this  can  hardly  be  considered  correct ;  for  during  almost 
every  day  of  our  visit  there  was  a  thick  drizzling  mist,  which  was 
sufficient  to  make  the  streets  muddy  and  one's  clothes  damp :  this 
the  people  are  pleased  to  call  Peruvian  dew.  That  much  rain 
does  not  fall  is  very  certain,  for  the  houses  are  covered  only  with 
flat  roofs  made  of  hardened  mud  ;  and  on  the  mole  ship-loads  of 
wheat  were  piled  up,  being  thus  left  for  weeks  together  without 
any  shelter. 

I  cannot  say  I  liked  the  very  little  I  saw  of  Peru  :  in  summer, 
however,  it  is  said  that  the  climate  is  much  pleasanter.  In  all 
seasons,  both  inhabitants  and  foreigners  suffer  from  severe  attacks 
of  ague.  This  disease  is  common  on  the  whole  coast  of  Peru, 
but.  is  unknown  in  the  interior.  The  attacks  of  illness  which 
arise  from  miasma  never  fail  to  appear  most  mysterious.  So  dif- 
ficult is  it  to  judge  from  the  aspect  of  a  country,  whether  or  not 
it  is  healthy,  that  if  a  person  had  been  told  to  choose  within  the 
tropics  a  situation  appearing  favourable  for  health,  very  probably 
he  would  have  named  this  coast.  The  plain  round  the  outskirts 
of  Callao  is  sparingly  covered  with  a  coarse  grass,  and  in  some 
parts  there  are  a  few  stagnant,  though  very  small,  pools  of  water. 
The  miasma,  in  all  probability,  arises  from  these :  for  the  town 
of  Arica  was  similarly  circumstanced,  and  its  healthiness  was 
much  improved  by  the  drainage  of  some  little  pools.  Miasma 


366  PERU.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

is  not  always  produced  by  a  luxuriant  vegetation  with  an  ar- 
dent climate :  for  many  parts  of  Brazil,  even  where  there  are 
marshes  arid  a  rank  vegetation,  are  much  more  healthy  than  this 
sterile  coast  of  Peru.  The  densest  forests  in  a  temperate  cli- 
mate, as  in  Chiloe,  do  not  seem  in  the  slightest  degree  to  affect 
the  healthy  condition  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  island  of  St.  Jago,  at  the  Cape  de  Verds,  offers  another 
strongly-marked  instance  of  a  country,  which  any  one  would  have 
expected  to  find  most  healthy,  being  very  much  the  contrary. 
I  have  described  the  bare  and  open  plains  as  supporting,  during  a 
few  weeks  after  the  rainy  season,  a  thin  vegetation,  which  directly 
withers  away  and  dries  up :  at  this  period  the  air  appears  to  be- 
come quite  poisonous ;  both  natives  and  foreigners  often  being 
affected  with  violent  fevers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Galapagos 
Archipelago,  in  the  Pacific,  with  a  similar  soil,  and  periodically 
subject  to  the  same  process  of  vegetation,  is  perfectly  healthy. 
Humboldt  has  observed,  that,  "  under  the  torrid  zone,  the 
smallest  marshes  are  the  most  dangerous,  being  surrounded,  as  at 
Vera  Cruz  and  Carthagena,  with  an  arid  and  sandy  soil,  which 
raises  the  temperature  of  the  ambient  air."*  On  the  coast  of 
Peru,  however,  the  temperature  is  not  hot  to  any  excessive  de- 
gree ;  and  perhaps  inconsequence,  the  intermittent  fevers  are  not 
of  the  most,  malignant  order.  In  all  unhealthy  countries  the 
greatest  risk  is  run  by  sleeping  on  shore.  Is  this  owing  to  the 
state  of  the  body  during  sleep,  or  to  a  greater  abundance  of 
miasma  at  such  times  ?  It  appears  certain  that  those  who  stay 
on  board  a  vessel,  though  anchored  at  only  a  short  distance  from 
the  coast,  generally  suffer  less  than  those  actually  on  shore.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  have  heard  of  one  remarkable  case  where  a 
fever  broke  out  among  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war  some  hundred 
miles  off  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  at  the  very  same  time  that  one 
of  those  fearful  periods  j  of  death  commenced  at  Sierra  Leone. 

No  State  in  South  America,  since  the  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence, has  suffered  more  from  anarchy  than  Peru.  At  thu  time 

*  Political  Essay  on  the  Kingdom  of  New  Spain,  vol.  Sv.  p.  199. 

t  A  similar  interesting  case  is  recorded  in  the  IVi-idras  Medical  Qnart. 
Journ.,  1839,  p.  340.  Dr.  Ferguson,  in  his  admirable  Paper  (see  9th  vol.  of 
Edinburgh  Royal  Trans.),  shows  clearly  that  the  poison  is  generated  iu  the 
drying  process ;  and  hence  that  dry  hot  countries  are  often  the  most  uu- 
healthy. 


1835.]  CALL  AO.— LIMA.  367 

of  our  visit,  there  were  four  chiefs  in  arms  contending  for  supre- 
macy in  the  government :  if  one  succeeded  in  becoming  for  a  time 
very  powerful,  the  others  coalesced  against  him  ;  but  no  sooner 
were  they  victorious,  than  they  were  again  hostile  to  each  other. 
The  other  day,  at  the  Anniversary  of  the  Independence,  high 
mass  was  performed,  the  President  partaking  of  the  sacrament : 
during  the  Te  Dcum  laudamus,  instead  of  each  regiment  display- 
ing the  Peruvian  flag,  a  black  one  with  death's  head  was  unfurled. 
Imagine  a  government  under  which  such  a  scene  could  be  or- 
dered on  such  an  occasion,  to  be  typical  of  their  determination 
of  fighting  to  death  !  This  state  of  affairs  happened  at  a  timo 
very  unfortunately  for  me,  as  I  was  precluded  from  taking  any 
excursions  much  beyond  the  limits  of  the  town.  The  barren 
island  of  S.  Lorenzo,  which  forms  the  harbour,  was  nearly  the 
only  place  where  one  could  walk  securely.  The  upper  part, 
which  is  upwards  of  1000  feet  in  height,  during  this  season  of 
the  year  (winter),  comes  within  the  lower  limit  of  the  clouds  ; 
and  in  consequence,  an  abundant  cryptogamic  vegetation,  and  a 
few  flowers,  cover  the  summit.  On  the  hills  near  Lima,  at  a 
height  but  little  greater,  the  ground  is  carpeted  with  moss,  and 
beds  of  beautiful  yellow  lilies,  called  Amancaes.  This  indicates 
a  very  much  greater  degree  of  humidity,  than  at  a  corresponding 
height  at  Iquique.  Proceeding  northward  of  Lima,  the  climate 
becomes  damper,  till  on  the  banks  of  the  Guyaquil,  nearly  under 
the  equator,  we  find  the  most  luxuriant  forests.  The  change, 
however,  from  the  sterile  coast  of  Peru  to  that  fertile  land  is 
described  as  taking  place  rather  abruptly  in  the  latitude  of  Cape 
Blanco,  two  degrees  south  of  Guyaquil. 

Callao  is  a  filthy,  ill-built,  small  seaport.  The  inhabitants, 
both  here  and  at  Lima,  present  every  imaginable  shade  of  mix- 
ture, between  European,  Negro,  and  Indian  blood.  They  appear 
a  depraved,  drunken  set  of  people.  The  atmosphere  is  loaded 
with  foul  smells,  and  that  peculiar  one,  which  may  be  perceived 
in  almost  every  town  within  the  tropics,  was  here  very  strong. 
The  fortress,  which  withstood  Lord  Cochrane's  long  siege,  has 
an  imposing  appearance.  But  the  President,  during  our  stay, 
sold  the  brass  guns,  and  proceeded  to  dismantle  parts  of  it.  The 
reason  assigned  was,  that  he  had  not  an  officer  to  whom  he  could 
trust  so  important  a  charge.  He  himself  had  good  reasons  for 


368  PERU.  [CHAP.  XTI. 

thinking  so,  as  he  had  obtained  the  presidentship  by  rebelling 
while  in  charge  of  this  same  fortress.  After  we  left  South 
.  America,  he  paid  the  penalty  in  the  usual  manner,  by  being  con- 
quered, taken  prisoner,  and  shot, 

Lima  stands  on  a  plain  in  a  valley,  formed  during  the  gradual 
retreat  of  the  sea.  It  is  seven  miles  from  Callao,  and  is  elevated 
500  feet  above  it ;  but  from  the  slope  being  very  gradual,  the 
road  appears  absolutely  level ;  so  that  when  at  Lima  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  believe  one  has  ascended  even  one  hundred  feet :  Hum- 
boldt  has  remarked  on  this  singularly  deceptive  case.  Steep, 
barren  hills  rise  like  islands  from  the  plain,  which  is  divided,  by 
straight  mud-walls,  into  large  green  fields.  In  these  scarcely  a 
tree  grows  excepting  a  few  willows,  and  an  occasional  clump 
of  bananas  and  of  oranges.  The  city  of  Lima  is  now  in  a 
wretched  state  of  decay  :  the  streets  are  nearly  unpaved ;  and 
heaps  of  filth  are  piled  up  in  all  directions,  where  the  black 
gallinazos,  tame  as  poultry,  pick  up  bits  of  carrion.  The  houses 
have  generally  an  upper  story,  built,  on  account  of  the  earth- 
quakes, of  plastered  woodwork  ;  but  some  of  the  old  ones,  which 
are  now  used  by  several  families,  are  immensely  large,  and  would 
rival  in  suites  of  apartments  the  most  magnificent  in  any  place. 
Lima,  the  City  of  the  Kings,  must  formerly  have  been  a  splendid 
town.  The  extraordinary  number  of  churches  gives  it,  even  at 
the  present  day,  a  peculiar  and  striking  character,  especially 
when  viewed  from  a  short  distance. 

One  day  I  went  out  with  some  merchants  to  hunt  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  city.  Our  sport  was  very  poor  ;  but  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  ruins  of  one  of  the  ancient  Indian 
villages,  with  its  mound  like  a  natural  hill  in  the  centre.  The 
remains  of  houses,  enclosures,  irrigating  streams,  and  burial 
mounds,  scattered  over  this  plain,  cannot  fail  to  give  one  a  high 
idea  of  the  condition  and  number  of  the  ancient  population. 
When  their  earthenware,  woollen  clothes,  utensils  of  elegant 
forms  cut  out  of  the  hardest  rocks,  tools  of  copper,  ornaments  of 
precious  stones,  palaces,  and  hydraulic  works,  are  considered,  it 
is  impossible  not  to  respect  the  considerable  advance  made  by 
them  in  the  arts  of  civilization.  The  burial  mounds,  called 
Huacas,  are  really  stupendous ;  although  in  some  places  they 
appear  to  be  natural  hills  incased  and  modelled. 


1835.]  DECOMPOSING    SHELLS.  369 

There  is  also  another  and  very  different  class  of  ruins,  which 
possesses  some  interest,  namely,  those  of  old  Callao,  overwhelmed 
by  the  great  earthquake  of  1746,  and  its  accompanying  wave. 
The  destruction  must  have  been  more  complete  even  than  at 
Talcahuano.  Quantities  of  shingle  almost  conceal  the  founda- 
tions of  the  walls,  and  vast  masses  of  brickwork  appear  to  have 
been  whirled  about  like  pebbles  by  the  retiring  waves.  It  has 
been  stated  that  the  land  subsided  during  this  memorable  shock : 
I  could  not  discover  any  proof  of  this ;  yet  it  seems  far  from 
improbable,  for  the  form  of  the  coast  must  certainly  have  under- 
gone some  change  since  the  foundation  of  the  old  town ;  as  no 
people  in  their  senses  would  willingly  have  chosen  for  their 
building  place,  the  narrow  spit  of  shingle  on  which  the  ruins  now 
stand.  Since  our  voyage,  M.  Tschudi  has  come  to  the  con- 
clusion, by  the  comparison  of  old  and  modern  maps,  that  the 
coast  both  north  and  south  of  Lima  has  certainly  subsided. 

On  the  island  of  San  Lorenzo,  there  are  very  satisfactory 
proofs  of  elevation  within  the  recent  period ;  this  of  course  is 
not  opposed  to  the  belief,  of  a  small  sinking  of  the  ground 
having  subsequently  taken  place.  The  side  of  this  island  front- 
ing the  Bay  of  Callao,  is  worn  into  three  obscure  terraces,  the 
lower  one  of  which  is  covered  by  a  bed  a  mile  in  length,  almost 
wholly  composed  of  shells  of  eighteen  species,  now  living  in  the 
adjoining  sea.  The  height  of  this  bed  is  eighty-five  feet.  Many 
of  the  shells  are  deeply  corroded,  and  have  a  much  older  and 
more  decayed  appearance  than  those  at  the  height  of  500  or  600 
feet  on  the  coast  of  Chile.  These  shells  are  associated  with 
much  common  salt,  a  little  sulphate  of  lime  (both  probably  left 
by  the  evaporation  of  the  spray,  as  the  land  slowly  rose),  to- 
gether with  sulphate  of  soda  and  muriate  of  lime.  They  rest 
on  fragments  of  the  underlying  sandstone,  and  are  covered  by  a 
fp'sv  inches  thick  of  detritus.  The  shells,  higher  up  on  this  ter- 
race, could  be  traced  scaling  off  in  flakes,  and  falling  into  an 
impalpable  powder ;  and  on  an  upper  terrace,  at  the  height  of 
170  feet,  and  likewise  at  some  considerably  higher  points.  I 
found  a  layer  of  saline  powder  of  exactly  similar  appearance, 
and  lying  in  the  same  relative  position.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
this  upper  layer  originally  existed  as  a  bed  of  shells,  like  that  on 
the  eighty -five-feet  ledge ;  but  it  does  not  now  contain  even  a 


370  PERU.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

trace  of  organic  structure.  The  powder  has  been  analysed  for 
me  by  Mr.  T.  Reeks  ;  it  consists  of  sulphates  and  muriates  both 
of  lime  and  soda,  with  very  little  carbonate  of  lime.  It  is  known 
that  common  salt  and  carbonate  of  lime  left  in  a  mass  for  some 
time  together,  partly  decompose  each  other ;  though  this  does 
not  happen  with  small  quantities  in  solution.  As  the  half-de- 
composed shells  in  the  lower  parts  are  associated  with  much 
common  salt,  together  with  some  of  the  saline  substances  com- 
posing the  upper  saline  layer,  and  as  these  shells  are  corroded 
and  decayed  in  a  remarkable  manner,  I  strongly  suspect  that 
this  double  decomposition  has  here  taken  place.  The  resultant 
salts,  however,  ought  to  be  carbonate  of  soda  and  muriate  of 
lime  ;  the  latter  is  present,  but  not  the  carbonate  of  soda.  Hence 
I  am  led  to  imagine  that  by  some  unexplained  menris,  the  car- 
bonate of  soda  becomes  changed  into  the  sulphate.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  saline  layer  could  not  have  been  preserved  in  any 
country  in  which  abundant  rain  occasionally  fell :  on  the  other 
hand,  this  very  circumstance,  which  at  first  sight  appears  so 
highly  favourable  to  the  long  preservation  of  exposed  shells,  has 
probably  been  the  indirect  means,  through  the  common  salt  not 
having  been  washed  away,  of  their  d  composition  and  early  decay. 
I  was  much  interested  by  finding  on  the  terrace,  at  the  height 
of  eighty-five  feet,  embedded  amidst  the  shells  and  much  sea- 
drifted  rubbish,  some  bits  of  cotton  thread,  plaited  rush,  and  the 
head  of  a  stalk  of  Indian  corn  :  I  compared  these  relics  with 
similar  ones  taken  out  of  the  Huacas,  or  old  Peruvian  tombs 
and  found  them  identical  in  appearance.  On  the  mainland  in 
front  of  San  Lorenzo,  near  Bellavista,  there  is  an  extensive  and 
level  plain  about  a  hundred  feet  high,  of  which  the  lower  part  is 
formed  of  alternating  layers  of  sand  and  impure  clay,  together 
with  some  gravel,  and  the  surface,  to  the  depth  of  from  three  to 
six  feet,  of  a  reddish  loam,  containing  a  few  scattered  sea-shells 
and  numerous  small  fragments  of  coarse  red  earthenware,  more 
abundant  at  certain  spots  than  at  others.  At  first  I  was  inclined 
to  believe  that  this  superficial  bed,  from  its  wide  extent  and 
smoothness,  must  have  been  deposited  beneath  the  sea ;  but  I 
afterwards  found  in  one  spot,  that  it  lay  on  an  artificial  floor  of 
round  stones.  It  seems,  therefore,  most  probable  that  at  a  pe- 
riod when  the  land  stood  at  a  lower  level,  there  was  a  plain  very 


1835.1  FOSSIL   HUMAN   RELICS.  371 

similar  to  that  now  surrounding  Callao,  which  being  protected 
hy  a  shingle  beach,  is  raised  but  very  little  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  On  this  plain,  with  its  underlying  red-clay  beds,  I  imagine 
that  the  Indians  manufactured  their  earthen  vessels ;  and  that, 
during  some  violent  earthquake,  the  sea  broke  over  the  beach, 
and  converted  the  plain  into  a  temporary  lake,  as  happened  round 
Callao  in  1713  and  1746.  The  water  would  then  have  deposited 
mud,  containing  fragments  of  pottery  from  the  kilns,  more  abun- 
dant at  some  spots  than  at  others,  and  shells  from  the  sea.  This 
bed  with  fossil  earthenware,  stands  at  about  the  same  height  with 
the  shells  on  the  lower  terrace  of  San  Lorenzo,  in  which  the 
cotton-thread  and  other  relics  were  embedded.  Hence  we  may 
safely  conclude,  that  within  the  Indo-human  period  there  has 
been  an  elevation,  as  before  alluded  to,  of  more  than  eighty -five 
feet ;  for  some  little  elevation  must  have  been  lost  by  the  coast 
having  subsided  since  the  old  maps  were  engraved.  At  Val- 
paraiso, although  in  the  220  years  before  our  visit,  the  elevation 
cannot  have  exceeded  nineteen  feet,  yet  subsequently  to  1817 
there  has  been  a  rise,  partly  insensible  and  partly  by  a  start 
during  the  shock  of  1822,  of  ten  or  eleven  feet.  The  antiquity 
of  the  Indo-human  race  here,  judging  by  the  eighty-five  feet 
rise  of  the  land  since  the  relics  were  embedded,  is  the  more  re- 
markable, as  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  when  the  land  stood 
about  the  same  number  of  feet  lower,  the  Macrauchenia  was  a 
living  beast ;  but  as  the  Patagonian  coast  is  some  way  distant 
from  the  Cordillera,  the  rising  there  may  have  been  slower  than 
here.  At  Bahia  Blanca,  the  elevation  has  been  only  a  few  feet 
since  the  numerous  gigantic  quadrupeds  were  there  entombed  ; 
and,  according  to  the  generally  received  opinion,  when  these  ex- 
tinct animals  were  living,  man  did  not  exist.  But  the  rising  of 
that  part  of  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  is  perhaps  noways  connected 
with  the  Cordillera,  but  rather  with  a  line  of  old  volcanic  rocks 
in  Banda  Oriental,  so  that  it  may  have  been  infinite^  slower  than 
on  the  shores  of  Peru.  All  these  speculations,  however,  must 
be  vague;  for  \vho  will  pretend  to  say,  that  there  may  not  have 
been  several  periods  of  subsidence,  intercalated  between  the 
movements  of  elevation  ;  for  we  know  that  along  the  whole  coast 
of  Patagonia,  there  have  certainly  been  many  and  long  pauses 
hi  the  upward  action  of  the  elevatory  forces. 


372  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO. 

rht  -whole  group  volcanic — Number  of  craters — Leafless  bushes — Coiony  at 
Charles  Island — James  Island — Salt-lake  in  crater — Natural  History  of 
the  group— Ornithology,  curious  Cliches— Reptiles — Great  tortoises,  habits 
of— Marine  lizard,  feeds  on  sea-weed — Terrestrial  lizard,  burrowing  habits, 
herbivorous— Importance  of  reptiles  in  the  Archioelago — Fish,  shells, 
insects — Botany — American  type  of  organization — Differences  in  the 
species  or  races  on  different  islands — Tame-ness  of  the  birds — Fear  of  man, 
an  acquired  instinct. 

September  1 5th. — This  archipelago  consists  of  ten  principal 
islands,  of  which  five  exceed  the  others  in  size.  They  are 
situated  under  the  Equator,  and  between  five  and  six  hundred 
miles  westward  of  the  coast  of  America.  They  are  all  formed 

Culpeppir  I. 

60  Miles 


^  AlinfdonL 

Mndloesl. 
'a 

L^l         .,    ^ 

"""°s\  Jomes  I. 

**™*/.  l^f^tA^^A 

Q  JT^Vl  TnitfatiffalleL 

^fcmrfrZ  S*..-.r    r  v*  &f  clMt w 

Barringtonl.  '-' 

Charles  1.  Haud'tL 


1835.]  NUMBER   OF   CRATERS.  373 

of  volcanic  rocks  ;  a  few  fragments  of  granite  curiously  glazed 
and  altered  by  the  heat,  can  hardly  be  considered  as  an  excep- 
tion. Some  of  the  craters,  surmounting  the  larger  islands,  are  of 
immense  size,  and  they  rise  to  a  height  of  between  three  and  four 
thousand  feet.  Their  flanks  are  studded  by  innumerable  smaller 
orifices.  I  scarcely  hesitate  to  affirm,  that  there  must  be  in  the 
whole  archipelago  at  least  two  thousand  craters.  These  consist 
either  of  lava  and  scoriae,  or  of  finely-stratified,  sandstone-like 
tuff.  Most  of  the  latter  are  beautifully  symmetrical ;  they  owe 
their  origin  to  eruptions  of  volcanic  mud  without  any  lava  : 
it  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  every  one  of  the  twenty- 
eight  tuff-craters  which  were  examined,  had  their  southern  sides 
either  much  lower  than  the  other  sides,  or  quite  broken  down 
and  removed.  As  all  these  craters  apparently  have  been  formed 
when  standing  in  the  sea,  and  as  the  waves  from  the  trade  wind 
and  the  swell  from  the  open  Pacific  here  unite  their  forces  on  the 
southern  coasts  of  all  the  islands,  this  singular  uniformity  in 
the  broken  state  of  the  craters,  composed  of  the  soft  and  yielding 
tuff,  is  easily  explained. 

Considering  that  these  islands  are  placed  directly  under  the 
equator,  the  climate  is  far  from  being  excessively  hot ;  this  seems 
chiefly  caused  by  the  singularly  low  temperature  of  the  surround- 
ing water,  brought  here  by  the  great  southern  Polar  current. 
Excepting  during  one  short  season,  very  little  rain  falls,  and 
even  then  it  is  irregular ;  but  the  clouds  generally  hang  low. 
Hence,  whilst  the  lower  parts  of  the  islands  are  very  sterile,  the 
upper  parts,  at  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  and  upwards,  possess  a 
damp  climate  and  a  tolerably  luxuriant  vegetation.  This  is 
especially  the  case  on  the  windward  sides  of  the  islands,  which 
first  receive  and  condense  the  moisture  from  the  atmosphere. 

In  the  morning  (17th)  we  landed  on  Chatham  Island,  which, 
like  the  others,  rises  with  a  tame  and  rounded  outline,  broken 
here  and  there  by  scattered  hillocks,  the  remains  of  former 
craters.  Nothing  could  be  less  inviting  than  the  first  appear- 
ance. A  broken  field  of  black  basaltic  lava,  thrown  into  the 
most  rugged  waves,  and  crossed  by  great  fissures,  is  every  where 
covered  by  stunted,  sun-burnt  brushwood,  which  shows  little  signs 
of  life.  The  dry  and  parched  surface,  being  heated  by  the  noon- 
day sun,  gave  to  the  air  a  close  and  sultry  feeling,  like  that  iron: 


874  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

a  stove :  we  fancied  even  that  the  bushes  smelt  unpleasantly. 
Although  I  diligently  tried  to  collect  as  many  plants  as  possible, 
I  succeeded  in  getting  very  few  ;  and  such  wretched-looking  little 
weeds  would  have  better  become  an  arctic  than  an  equatorial 
Flora.  The  brushwood  appears,  from  a  short  distance,  as  leaf- 
less as  our  trees  during  winter ;  and  it  was  some  time  before  I 
discovered  that  not  only  almost  every  plant  was  now  in  full  leaf 
but  that  the  greater  number  were  in  flower.  The  commonest 
bush  is  one  of  the  Euphorbiaceae :  an  acacia  and  a  great  odd- 
looking  cactus  are  the  only  trees  which  afford  any  shade.  After 
the  season  of  heavy  rains,  the  islands  are  said  to  appear  for  a 
short  time  partially  green.  The  volcanic  island  of  Fernando 
Noronha,  placed  in  many  respects  under  nearly  similar  conditions, 
is  the  only  other  country  where  I  have  seen  a  vegetation  at  all 
like  this  of  the  Galapagos  islands. 

The  Beagle  sailed  round  Chatham  Island,  and  anchored  in 
several  bays.  One  night  I  slept  on  shore  on  a  part  of  the 
island,  where  black  truncated  cones  were  extraordinarily  nume- 
rous :  from  one  small  eminence  I  counted  sixty  of  them,  all  sur- 
mounted by  craters  more  or  less  perfect.  The  greater  number  con- 
sisted merely  of  a  ring  of  red  scoriae  or  slags,  cemented  together : 
and  their  height  above  the  plain  of  lava  was  not  more  than  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred  feet :  none  had  been  very  lately  active.  The 
entire  surface  of  this  part  of  the  island  seems  to  have  been  per- 
meated, like  a  sieve,  by  the  subterranean  vapours :  here  and  there 
the  lava,  whilst  soft,  has  been  blown  into  great  bubbles ;  and  in 
other  parts,  the  tops  of  caverns  similarly  formed  have  fallen  in, 
leaving  circular  pits  with  steep  sides.  From  the  regular  form 
of  the  many  craters,  they  gave  to  the  country  an  artificial  appear- 
ance, which  vividly  reminded  me  of  those  parts  of  Staffordshire, 
where  the  great  iron-foundries  are  most  numerous.  The  day 
was  glowing  hot,  and  the  scrambling  over  the  rough  surface  and 
through  the  intricate  thickets,  was  very  fatiguing ;  but  I  was 
well  repaid  by  the  strange  Cyclopean  scene.  As  I  was  walking 
along  I  met  two  large  tortoises,  each  of  which  must  have  weighed 
at  least  two  hundred  pounds  :  one  was  eating  a  piece  of  cactus, 
and  as  I  approached,  it  stared  at  me  and  slowly  stalked  away ; 
the  other  gave  a  deep  hiss,  and  drew  in  its  head.  These  huge 
reptiles,  surrounded  by  the  black  lava,  the  leafless  shrubs,  and 


1835.]  THE   SETTLEMENT.  375 

large  cacti,  seemed  to  my  fancy  like  some  antediluvian  animals. 
The  few  dull-coloured  birds  cared  no  more  for  me,  than  they  did 
for  the  great  tortoises. 

2'3rd.— The  Beagle  proceeded  to  Charles  Island.  This  archi- 
pelago has  long  been  frequented,  first  by  the  Bucaniers,  and 
latterly  by  whalers,  but  it  is  only  within  the  last  six  years,  that 
a  small  colony  has  been  established  here.  The  inhabitants  are 
between  two  and  three  hundred  in  number  :  they  are  nearly  all 
people  of  colour,  who  have  been  banished  for  political  crimes 
from  the  Republic  of  the  Equator,  of  which  Quito  is  the  capital. 
The  settlement  is  placed  about  four  and  a  half  miles  inland,  and 
at  a  height  probably  of  a  thousand  feet.  In  the  first  part  of  the 
road  we  passed  through  leafless  thickets,  as  in  Chatham  Island. 
Higher  up,  the  woods  gradually  became  greener ;  and  as  soon  as 
we  crossed  the  ridge  of  the  island,  we  were  cooled  by  a  fine 
southerly  breeze,  and  our  sight  refreshed  by  a  green  and  thriving 
vegetation.  In  this  upper  region  coarse  grasses  and  ferns 
abound  ;  but  there  are  no  tree-ferns :  I  saw  nowhere  any  member 
of  the  Palm  family,  which  is  the  more  singular,  as  360  miles 
northward,  Cocos  Island  takes  its  name  from  the  number  of 
cocoa-nuts.  The  houses  are  irregularly  scattered  over  a  flat 
space  of  ground,  which  is  cultivated  with  sweet  potatoes  and 
bananas.  It  will  not  easily  be  imagined  how  pleasant  the  sight 
of  black  mud  was  to  us,  after  having  been  so  long  accustomed  to 
the  parched  soil  of  Peru  and  northern  Chile.  The  inhabitants, 
although  complaining  of  poverty,  obtain,  without  much  trouble, 
the  means  of  subsistence.  In  the  woods  there  are  many  wild 
pigs  and  goats ;  but  the  staple  article  of  animal  food  is  supplied 
by  the  tortoises.  Their  numbers  have  of  course  been  greatly  re- 
duced in  this  island,  but  the  people  yet  count  on  two  days'  hunt- 
ing giving  them  food  for  the  rest  of  the  week.  It  is  said  that 
formerly  single  vessels  have  taken  away  as  many  as  seven  hun- 
dred, and  that  the  ship's  company  of  a  frigate  some  years  since 
Drought  down  in  one  day  two  hundred  tortoises  to  the  beach. 

September  29th. — We  doubled  the  south-west  extremity  of 
A.lbemarle  Island,  and  the  next  day  were  nearly  becalmed  be- 
tween it  and  Karborough  Island.  Both  are  covered  with  im 
Tiense  deluges  of  black  naked  lava,  which  have  flowed  either 
->ver  the  rims  of  the  great  caldrons,  like  pitch  over  the  rim  of  a 
25 


876  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  XTII. 

pot  in  which  it  has  been  boiled,  or  have  burst  forth  from  smaller 
orifices  on  the  flanks ;  in  their  descent  they  have  spread  over 
miles  of  the  sea-coast.  On  both  of  these  islands,  eruptions  are 
known  to  have  taken  place ;  and  in  Albemarle,  we  saw  a  small 
jet  of  smoke  curling  from  the  summit  of  one  of  the  great  craters. 
In  the  evening  we  anchored  in  Bank's  Cove,  in  Albemarle 
Island.  The  next  morning  I  went  out  walking.  To  the  south 
of  the  broken  tuff- crater,  in  which  the  Beagle  was  anchored, 
there  was  another  beautifully  symmetrical  one  of  an  elliptic  form  ; 
its  longer  axis  was  a  little  less  than  a  mile,  and  its  depth  about 
500  feet.  At  its  bottom  there  was  a  shallow  lake,  in  the  middle 
of  which  a  tiny  crater  formed  an  islet.  The  day  was  overpower- 
ingly  hot,  and  the  lake  looked  clear  and  blue :  I  hurried  down 
the  cindery  slope,  and  choked  with  dust  eagerly  tasted  the  water 
— but,  to  my  sorrow,  I  found  it  salt  as  brine. 

The  rocks  on  the  coast  abounded  with  great  black  lizards,  be- 
tween three  and  four  feet  long;  and  on  the  hills,  an  ugly 
yellowish-brown  species  was  equally  common.  We  saw  many  of 
this  latter  kind,  some  clumsily  running  out  of  our  way,  and 
others  shuffling  into  their  burrows.  I  shall  presently  describe  in 
more  detail  the  habits  of  both  these  reptiles.  The  whole  of  this 
northern  part  of  Albemarle  Island  is  miserably  sterile. 

October  8tk.—  We  arrived  at  James  Island:  this  island,  as 
well  as  Charles  Island,  were  long  since  thus  named  after  our 
kings  of  the  Stuart  line.  Mr.  Bynoe,  myself,  and  our  servants 
were  left  here  for  a  week,  with  provisions  and  a  tent,  whilst  the 
Beagle  went  for  water.  We  found  here  a  party  of  Spaniards,  who 
had  been  sent  from  Charles  Island  to  dry  fish,  and  to  salt  tortoise- 
meat.  About  six  miles  inland,  and  at  the  height  of  nearly  2000 
feet,  a  hovel  had  been  built  in  which  two  men  lived,  who  were 
employed  in  catching  tortoises,  whilst  the  others  were  fishing 
on  the  coast.  I  paid  this  party  two  visits,  and  slept  there  one 
night.  As  in  the  other  islands,  the  lower  region  was  covered  by 
nearly  leafless  bushes,  but  the  trees  were  here  of  a  larger  growth 
than  elsewhere,  several  being  two  feet  and  some  even  two  feet 
nine  inches  in  diameter.  The  upper  region  being  kept  damp  by 
the  clouds,  supports  a  green  and  flourishing  vegetation.  So  damp 
was  the  ground,  that  there  were  large  beds  of  a  coarse  cyperus, 
in  which  great  numbers  of  a  very  small  water- rail  lived  and  bred 


1835.]  SALT-LAKE.  377 

While  staying  in  this  upper  region,  we  lived  entirely  upon  tortoise- 
meat  :  the  breast-plate  roasted  (as  the  Gauchos  do  came  con  cuero), 
with  the  flesh  on  it,  is  very  good  ;  and  the  young  tortoises  make 
excellent  soup  ;  but  otherwise  the  meat  to  my  taste  is  indifferent. 

One  day  we  accompanied  a  party  of  the  Spaniards  in  their 
whale-boat  to  a  salina,  or  lake  from  which  salt  is  procured. 
After  landing,  we  had  a  very  rough  walk  over  a  rugged  field  of 
recent  lava,  which  has  almost  surrounded  a  tuff-crater,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  the  salt- lake  lies.  The  water  is  only  three  or 
four  inches  deep,  and  rests  on  a  layer  of  beautifully  crystallized, 
white  salt.  The  lake  is  quite  circular,  and  is  fringed  with  a  border 
of  bright  green  succulent  plants  ;  the  almost  precipitous  walls  of 
the  crater  are  clothed  with  wood,  so  that  the  scene  was  altogether 
both  picturesque  and  curious.  A  few  years  since,  the  sailors 
belonging  to  a  sealing-vessel  murdered  their  captain  in  this  quiet 
spot ;  and  we  saw  his  skull  lying  among  the  bushes. 

During  the  greater  part  of  our  stay  of  a  week,  the  sky  was 
cloudless,  and  if  the  trade-wind  failed  for  an  hour,  the  heat  be- 
came verv  oppressive.  On  two  days,  the  thermometer  within 
the  tent  stood  for  some  hours  at  93°  ;  but  in  the  open  air,  in  the 
wind  and  sun,  at  only  85°.  The  sand  was  extremely  hot ;  the 
thermometer  placed  in  some  of  a  brown  colour  immediately  rose 
to  137°,  and  how  much  above  that  it  would  have  risen,  I  do  not 
know,  for  it  was  not  graduated  any  higher.  The  black  sand  felt 
much  hotter,  so  that  even  in  thick  boots  it  was  quite  disagreeable 
to  walk  over  it. 

The  natural  history  of  these  islands  is  eminently  curious,  and 
well  deserves  attention.  Most  of  the  organic  productions  are 
aboriginal  creations,  found  nowhere  else  ;  there  is  even  a  differ- 
ence between  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  islands ;  yet  all 
show  a  marked  relationship  with  those  of  America,  though  sepa- 
rated from  that  continent  by  an  open  space  of  ocean,  between 
500  and  600  miles  in  width.  The  archipelago  is  a  little  world 
within  itself,  or  rather  a  satellite  attached  to  America,  whence 
it  has  derived  a  few  stray  colonists,  and  has  received  the  general 
character  of  its  indigenous  productions.  Considering  the  small 
size  of  these  islands,  we  feel  the  more  astonished  at  the  number  ol 
their  aboriginal  beings,  and  at  their  confined  range.  Seeing  every 


878  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

height  crowned  with  its  crater,  anH  the  boundaries  of  most  oi 
the  lava-streams  still  distinct,  we  are  led  to  believe  that  within  a 
period,  geologically  recent,  the  unbroken  ocean  was  here  spread 
out.  Hence,  both  in  space  and  time,  we  seem  to  be  brought 
somewhat  near  to  that  great  fact — that  mystery  of  mysteries — 
the  first  appearance  of  new  beings  on  this  earth. 

Of  terrestrial  mammals,  there  is  only  one  which  must  be  con- 
sidered as  indigenous,  namely,  a  mouse  (Mus  Galapagoensis),  and 
this  is  confined,  as  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  to  Chatham  island,  the 
most  easterly  island  of  the  group.  It  belongs,  as  I  am  informed 
by  Mr.  Waterhouse,  to  a  division  of  the  family  of  mice  charac- 
teristic of  America.  At  James  island,  there  is  a  rat  sufficiently 
distinct  from  the  common  kind  to  have  been  named  and  described 
by  Mr.  Waterhouse ;  but  as  it  belongs  to  the  old-world  division 
of  the  family,  and  as  this  island  has  been  frequented  by  ships  for 
the  last  hundred  and  fifty  years,  I  can  hardly  doubt  that  this  rat 
is  merely  a  variety,  produced  by  the  new  and  peculiar  climate, 
food,  and  soil,  to  which  it  has  been  subjected.  Although  no  one 
has  a  right  to  speculate  without  distinct  facts,  yet  even  with 
respect  to  the  Chatham  island  mouse,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
that  it  may  possibly  be  an  American  species  imported  here ;  for 
I  have  seen,  in  a  most  unfrequented  part  of  the  Pampas,  a  native 
mouse  living  in  the  roof  of  a  newly-built  hovel,  and  therefore  its 
transportation  in  a  vessel  is  not  improbable :  analogous  facts 
have  been  observed  by  Dr.  Richardson  in  North  America. 

Of  land-birds  I  obtained  twenty-six  kinds,  all  peculiar  to  the 
group  and  found  nowhere  else,  with  the  exception  of  one  lark- 
like  finch  from  North  America  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus),  which 
ranges  on  that  continent  as  far  north  as  54°,  and  generally  fre- 
quents marshes.  The  other  twenty-five  birds  consist,  firstly, 
of  a  hawk,  curiously  intermediate  in  structure  between  a  Buzzard 
and  the  American  group  of  carrion- feeding  Polybori ;  and  with 
these  latter  birds  it  agrees  most  closely  in  every  habit  and  even 
tone  of  voice.  Secondly,  there  are  two  owls,  representing  the 
short  -eared  and  white  barn-owls  of  Europe.  Thirdly,  a  wren, 
three  tyrant  fly-catchers  (two  of  them  species  of  Pyrocephalus, 
one  or  both  of  which  would  be  ranked  by  some  ornithologists 
as  only  varieties),  and  a  dove — all  analogous  to,  but  distinct 
from,  American  species.  Fourthly,  a  swallow,  which  though 


1835.] 


BIRDS. 


379 


differing  from  the  Progne  purpurea  of  both  Americas,  only  in 
being  rather  duller  coloured,  smaller,  and  slenderer,  is  consi- 
dered by  Mr.  Gould  as  specifically  distinct.  Fifthly,  there  are 
three  species  of  mocking-thrush — a  form  highly  characteristic 
of  America.  The  remaining  land-birds  form  a  most  singular 
group  of  finches,  related  to  each  other  in  the  structure  of  their 
beaks,  short  tails,  form  of  body,  and  plumage :  there  are  thirteen 
species,  which  Mr.  Gould  has  divided  into  four  sub-groups. 
All  these  species  are  peculiar  to  this  archipelago ;  and  so  is 
the  whole  group,  with  the  exception  of  one  species  of  the  sub- 
group Cactornis,  lately  brought  from  Bow  island,  in  the  Low 
Archipelago.  Of  Cactornis,  the  two  species  may  be  often  seen 
climbing  about  the  flowers  of  the  great  cactus-trees ;  but  all 
the  other  species  of  this  group  of  finches,  mingled  together  in 
flocks,  feed  on  the  dry  and  sterile  ground  of  the  lower  districts. 
The  males  of  all,  or  certainly  of  the  greater  number,  are  jet 
black  ;  and  the  females  (with  perhaps  one  or  two  exceptions)  are 
brown.  The  most  curious  fact  is  the  perfect  gradation  in  the 
size  of  the  beaks  in  the  different  species  of  Geospiza,  from  one  as 


1.  Oeospizn  magnirostris, 
3.  Geospiza  pa: 


2.  Geospiza  foitis. 
4,  Ccrthidca  oliva-.ea. 


large  as  that  of  a  hawfinch  to  that  of  a  chaffinch,  and  (if  Mr. 
is  right  in  including  his  sub-group,  Certhidea,  in  the  main 


380  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  XTII. 

group),  even  to  that  of  a  warbler.  The  largest  beak  in  the  genus 
Geospiza  is  shown  in  Fig.  1,  and  the  smallest  in  Fig.  3 ;  but 
instead  of  there  being  only  one  intermediate  species,  with  a  beak 
of  the  size  shown  in  Fig.  2,  there  are  no  less  than  six  speciea 
with  insensibly  graduated  beaks.  The  beak  of  the  sub-group 
Certhidea,  is  shown  in  Fig.  4.  The  beak  of  Cactornis  is  some- 
what like  that  of  a  starling ;  and  that  of  the  fourth  sub-group, 
Camarhynchus,  is  slightly  parrot-shaped.  Seeing  this  gradation 
and  diversity  of  structure  in  one  small,  intimately  related  group 
of  birds,  one  might  really  fancy  that  from  an  original  paucity  of 
birds  in  this  archipelago,  one  species  had  been  taken  and  modi- 
fied for  different  ends.  In  a  like  manner  it  might  be  fancied  that  a 
bird  originally  a  buzzard,  had  been  induced  here  to  undertake  the 
office  of  the  carrion-feeding  Polybori  of  the  American  continent. 

Of  waders  and  water-birds  I  was  able  to  get  only  eleven  kinds, 
and  of  these  only  three  (including  a  rail  confined  to  the  damp  sum- 
mits of  the  islands)  are  new  species.  Considering  the  wandering 
habits  of  the  gulls,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  species  in- 
habiting these  islands  is  peculiar,  but  allied  to  one  from  the 
southern  parts  of  South  America.  The  far  greater  peculiarity  of 
the  land-birds,  namely,  twenty-five  out  of  twenty-six  being  new 
species  or  at  least  new  races,  compared  with  the  waders  and 
web-footed  birds,  is  in  accordance  with  the  greater  range  which 
these  latter  orders  have  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  We  shall 
hereafter  see  this  law  of  aquatic  forms,  whether  marine  or 
fresh-water,  being  less  peculiar  at  any  given  point  of  the  earth's 
surface  than  the  terrestrial  forms  of  the  same  classes,  strikingly 
illustrated  in  the  shells,  and  in  a  lesser  degree  in  the  insects  of 
this  archipelago. 

Two  of  the  waders  are  rather  smaller  than  the  same  species 
brought  from  other  places  :  the  swallow  is  also  smaller,  though 
it  is  doubtful  whether  or  not  it  is  distinct  from  its  analogue. 
The  two  owls,  the  two  tyrant  fly-catchers  (Pyrocephalus)  and  the 
dove,  are  also  smaller  than  the  analogous  but  distinct  species,  to 
which  they  are  most  nearly  related  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  gull 
is  rather  larger.  The  two  owls,  the  swallow,  all  three  species  of 
mocking-thrush,  the  dove  in  its  separate  colours  though  not  in  its 
whole  plumage,  the  Totanus,  and  the  gull,  are  likewise  duskier  co- 
loured than  their  analogous  species  ;  and  in  the  case  of  the  mock 


1835.]  REPTILES.  381 

ing-thrush  and  Totanus,  than  any  other  species  of  the  tv»o  genera. 
With  the  exception  of  a  wren  with  a  fine  yellow  breast,  and  of  a 
tyrant  fly-catcher  with  a  scarlet  tuft  and  breast,  none  of  the  birds 
are  brilliantly  coloured,  as  might  have  been  expected  in  an  equa- 
torial district.  Hence  it  would  appear  probable,  that  the  same 
causes  which  here  make  the  immigrants  of  some  species  smaller, 
make  most  of  the  peculiar  Galapageian  species  also  smaller,  as 
well  as  very  generally  more  dusky  coloured.  All  the  plants  have  a 
wretched,  weedy  appearance,  and  I  did  not  see  one  beautiful  flower. 
The  insects,  again,  are  small  sized  and  dull  coloured,  and,  as 
Mr.  "VVaterhouse  informs  me,  there  is  nothing  in  their  general 
appearance  which  would  have  led  him  to  imagine  that  they  had 
come  from  under  the  equator.  The  birds,  plants,  and  insects 
have  a  desert  character,  and  are  not  more  brilliantly  coloured 
than  those  from  southern  Patagonia ;  we  may,  therefore,  con- 
clude that  the  usual  gaudy  colouring  of  the  intertropical  pro- 
ductions, is  not  related  either  to  the  heat  or  light  of  those  zones, 
but  to  some  other  cause,  perhaps  to  the  conditions  of  existence 
being  generally  favourable  to  life. 

"We  will  now  turn  to  the  order  of  reptiles,  which  gives  the 
most  striking  character  to  the  zoology  of  these  islands.  The 
species  are  not  numerous,  but  the  numbers  of  individuals  of  each 
species  are  extraordinarily  great.  There  is  one  small  lizard 
belonging  to  a  South  American  genus,  and  two  species  (and 
probably  more)  of  the  Amblyrhynchus  —  a  genus  confined  to 
the  Galapagos  islands.  There  is  one  snake  which  is  numerous ; 
it  is  identical,  as  I  am  informed  by  M.  Bibron,  with  the  Psam- 
mophis  Temminckii  from  Chile.  Of  sea-turtle  I  believe  there 
is  more  than  one  species ;  and  of  tortoises  there  are,  as  we 
shall  presently  show,  two  or  three  species  or  races.  Of  toads 
and  frogs  there  are  none :  I  was  surprised  at  this,  considering 
how  well  suited  for  them  the  temperate  and  damp  upper  woods 
appeared  to  be.  It  recalled  to  my  mind  the  remark  made  by 
Bory  St.  Vincent,*  namely,  that  none  of  this  family  are  found  on 

*  Voyage  aux  Quatre  lies  d'Afrique.  With  respect  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  see  Tyerman  and  Bennett's  Journal,  vol.  i.,  p.  434.  For  Mauritius 
see  Voyage  par  un  Officicr,  &c.,  Part  i.,  p.  170.  There  are  no  frogs  in  the 
Canary  Islands  (Webb  et  Berthelot,  Hist  Nat.  des  lies  Canaries).  I  saw 
none  at  St.  Jago  in  the  Cape  de  Verds,  There  are  noue  at  St.  Helena. 


382  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

any  of  the  volcanic  islands  in  the  great  oceans.  As  far  as  I  can  as- 
certain from  various  works}  this  seems  to  hold  good  throughout  the 
Pacific,  and  even  in  the  large  islands  of  the  Sandwich  archipelago. 
Mauritius  offers  an  apparent  exception,  where  I  saw  the  Raria 
Mascariensis  in  abundance :  this  frog  is  said  now  to  inhabit  the 
Seychelles,  Madagascar,  and  Bourbon ;  but  on  the  other  hand, 
Du  Bois,  in  his  voyage  in  1669,  states  that  there  were  no  reptiles 
in  Bourbon  except  tortoises  ;  and  the  Officier  du  Roi  asserts  that 
before  1768  it  had  been  attempted,  without  success,  to  introduce 
frogs  into  Mauritius — I  presume,  for  the  purpose  of  eating: 
hence  it  may  be  well  doubted  whether  this  frog  is  an  aboriginal 
of  these  islands.  The  absence  of  the  frog  family  in  the  oceanic 
islands  is  the  more  remarkable,  when  contrasted  with  the  case  of 
lizards,  which  swarm  on  most  of  the  smallest  islands.  May  this 
difference  not  be  caused,  by  the  greater  facility  with  which  the 
eggs  of  lizards,  protected  by  calcareous  shells,  might  be  trans- 
ported through  salt-water,  than  could  the  slimy  spawn  of  frogs  ? 

I  will  first  describe  the  habits  of  the  tortoise  (Testudo  nigra, 
formerly  called  Indica),  which  has  been  so  frequently  alluded 
to.  These  animals  are  found,  I  believe,  on  all  the  islands  of  the 
Archipelago ;  certainly  on  the  greater  number.  They  frequent 
in  preference  the  high  damp  parts,  but  they  likewise  live  in  the 
lower  and  arid  districts.  I  have  already  shown,  from  the  num- 
bers which  have  been  caught  in  a  single  day,  how  very  numerous 
they  must  be.  Some  grow  to  an  immense  size :  Mr.  Lawson,  an 
Englishman,  and  vice-governor  of  the  colony,  told  us  that  he 
had  seen  several  so  large,  that  it  required  six  or  eight  men  to  lift 
them  from  the  ground  ;  and  that  some  had  afforded  as  much  as 
two  hundred  pounds  of  meat.  The  old  males  are  the  largest, 
the  females  rarely  growing  to  so  great  a  size :  the  male  can 
readily  be  distinguished  from  the  female  by  the  greater  length 
of  its  tail.  The  tortoises  which  live  on  those  islands  where 
there  is  no  water,  or  in  the  lower  and  arid  parts  of  the  others, 
feed  chiefly  on  the  succulent  cactus.  Those  which  frequent  the 
higher  and  damp  regions,  eat  the  leaves  of  various  trees,  a  kind 
of  berry  (called  guayavita)  which  is  acid  and  austere,  and  like- 
wise a  pale  green  filamentous  lichen  (Usnera  plicata),  that  hangs 
in  tresses  from  the  boughs  of  the  trees. 

The  tortoise  is  very  fond  of  water,  drinking  large  quantities, 


1835.]  GREAT   TORTOISE.  883 

and  wallowing  in  the  mud.  The  larger  islands  alone  possess 
springs,  and  these  are  always  situated  towards  the  central  parts, 
and  at  a  considerable  height.  The  tortoises,  therefore,  which 
frequent  the  lower  districts,  when  thirsty,  are  obliged  to  travel 
from  a  long  distance.  Hence  broad  and  well-beaten  paths 
branch  off  in  every  direction  from  the  wells  down  to  the  sea- 
coast  ;  and  the  Spaniards  by  following  them  up,  first  discovered 
the  watering-places.  When  I  landed  at  Chatham  Island,  I  could 
not  imagine  what  animal  travelled  so  methodically  along  well- 
chosen  tracks.  Near  the  springs  it  was  a  curious  spectacle  to 
behold  many  of  these  huge  creatures,  one  set  eagerly  travelling 
onwards  with  outstretched  necks,  and  another  set  returning,  after 
having  drunk  their  fill.  When  the  tortoise  arrives  at  the 
spring,  quite  regardless  of  any  spectator,  he  buries  his  head  in 
the  water  above  his  eyes,  and  greedily  swallows  great  mouthfulls, 
at  the  rate  of  about  ten  in  a  minute.  The  inhabitants  say  each 
animal  stays  three  or  four  days  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
water,  and  then  returns  to  the  lower  country  ;  but  they  differed 
respecting  the  frequency  of  these  visits.  The  animal  probably 
regulates  them  according  to  the  nature  of  the  food  on  which  it 
has  lived.  It  is,  however,  certain,  that  tortoises  can  subsist 
even  on  those  islands,  where  there  is  no  other  water  than  what 
falls  during  a  few  rainy  days  in  the  year. 

I  believe  it  is  well  ascertained,  that  the  bladder  of  the  frog 
acts  as  a  reservoir  for  the  moisture  necessary  to  its  existence : 
such  seems  to  be  the  case  with  the  tortoise.  For  some  time 
after  a  visit  to  the  springs,  their  urinary  bladders  are  distended 
with  fluid,  which  is  said  gradually  to  decrease  in  volume,  and  to 
become  less  pure.  The  inhabitants,  when  walking  in  the  lower 
district,  and  overcome  with  thirst,  often  take  advantage  of  this 
circumstance,  and  drink  the  contents  of  the  bladder  if  full :  in 
one  I  saw  killed,  the  fluid  was  quite  limpid,  and  had  only  a  very 
slightly  bitter  taste.  The  inhabitants,  however,  always  first 
drink  the  water  in  the  pericardium,  which  is  described  as  being 
best. 

The  tortoises,  when  purposely  moving  towards  any  point 
travel  by  night  and  day,  and  arrive  at  their  journey's  end  much 
sooner  than  would  be  expected.  The  inhabitants,  from  ob- 
serving marked  individuals,  consider  that  they  travel  a  dis 


384  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

tance  of  about  eight  miles  in  two  or  three  days.  One  large 
tortoise,  which  I  watched,  walked  at  the  rate  of  sixty  yards  in 
ten  minutes,  that  is  360  yards  in  the  hour,  or  four  miles  a  day, — 
allowing  a  little  time  for  it  to  eat  on  the  road.  During  the 
breeding  season,  when  the  male  and  female  are  together,  the 
male  utters  a  hoarse  roar  or  bellowing,  which,  it  is  said,  can  be 
heard  at  the  distance  of  more  than  a  hundred  yards.  The  female 
never  uses  her  voice,  and  the  male  only  at  these  times ;  so  that 
when  the  people  hear  this  noise,  they  know  that  the  two  are 
together.  They  were  at  this  time  (October)  laying  their  eggs. 
The  female,  where  the  soil  is  sandy,  deposits  them  together,  and 
covers  them  up  with  sand ;  but  where  the  ground  is  rocky  she 
drops  them  indiscriminately  in  any  hole :  Mr.  Bynoe  found  seven 
placed  in  a  fissure.  The  egg  is  white  and  spherical ;  one  which 
I  measured  was  seven  inches  and  three-eighths  in  circumference, 
and  therefore  larger  than  a  hen's  egg.  The  young  tortoises,  as  soon 
as  they  are  hatched,  fall  a  prey  in  great  numbers  to  the  carrion- 
feeding  buzzard.  The  old  ones  seem  generally  to  die  from  acci- 
dents, as  from  falling  down  precipices :  at  least,  several  of  the 
inhabitants  told  me,  that  they  had  never  found  one  dead  without 
some  evident  cause. 

The  inhabitants  believe  that  these  animals  are  absolutely  deaf; 
certainly  they  do  not  overhear  a  person  walking  close  behind 
them.  I  was  always  amused  when  overtaking  one  of  these  great 
monsters,  as  it  was  quietly  pacing  along-,  to  see  how  suddenly, 
the  instant  I  passed,  it  would  draw  in  its  head  and  legs,  and 
uttering  a  deep  hiss  fall  to  the  ground  with  a  heavy  sound,  as  if 
struck  dead.  I  frequently  got  on  their  backs,  and  then  giving 
a  few  raps  on  the  hinder  part  of  their  shells,  they  would  rise  up 
and  walk  away ; — but  I  found  it  very  difficult  to  keep  my  ba- 
lance. The  flesh  of  this  animal  is  largely  employed,  both  fresh 
and  salted  ;  and  a  beautifully  clear  oil  is  prepared  from  the  fat. 
When  a  tortoise  is  caught,  the  man  makes  a  slit  in  the  skin  near 
its  tail,  so  as  to  see  inside  its  body,  whether  the  fat  under  the 
dorsal  plate  is  thick.  If  it  is  not,  the  animal  is  liberated  ;  and 
it  is  said  to  recover  soon  from  this  strange  operation.  In  order 
to  secure  the  tortoises,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  turn  them  like 
turtle,  for  they  are  often  able  to  get  on  their  legs  again. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  tortoise  is  an  aboriginal 


1835.]  MARINE   AMBLYRHYNCHUS.  385 

inhabitant  of  the  Galapagos ;  for  it  is  found  on  all,  or  nearly 
ail,  the  islands,  even  on  some  of  the  smaller  ones  where  there- 
is  no  water ;  had  it  been  an  imported  species,  this  would  hardly 
have  been  the  case  in  a  group  which  has  been  so  little  fre- 
quented. Moreover,  the  old  Bucaniers  found  this  tortoise  in 
greater  numbers  even  than  at  present :  Wood  and  Rogers  also, 
in  1708,  say  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Spaniards,  that  it  is 
found  nowhere  else  in  this  quarter  of  the  world.  It  is  now 
widely  distributed ;  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  it  is  in 
any  other  place  an  aboriginal.  The  bones  of  a  tortoise  at  Mau- 
ritius, associated  with  those  of  the  extinct  Dodo,  have  gene- 
rally been  considered  as  belonging  to  this  tortoise :  if  this  had 
been  so,  undoubtedly  it  must  have  been  there  indigenous ;  but 
M.  Bibron  informs  me  that  he  believes  that  it  was  distinct,  as 
the  species  now  living  there  certainly  is. 

The  Amblyrhyrichus,  a  remarkable  genus  of  lizards,  is  confined 
to  this  archipelago :  there  are  two  species,  resembling  each 
other  in  general  form,  one  being  terrestrial  and  the  other  aquatic. 
This  latter  species  (A.  cristatus)  was  first  characterised  by  Mr. 
Bell,  who  well  foresaw,  from  its  short,  broad  head,  and  strong 
claws  of  equal  length,  that  its  habits  of  life  would  turn  out  very 
peculiar,  and  different  from  those  of  its  nearest  ally,  the  Iguana. 
It  is  extremely  common  on  all  the  islands  throughout  the  group, 
and  lives  exclusively  on  the  rocky  sea-beaches,  being  never 
found,  at  least  I  never  saw  one,  even  ten  yards  in-shore.  It  is  a 
hideous-looking  creature,  of  a  dirty  black  colour,  stupid,  and 


Amblyrhynchus  cristatus.  a,  Tooth  of  natural  size,  and  likewise  magnified. 

sluggish  in  its  movements.     The  usual  length  of  a  full-grown 
one  is  about  a  yard,  but   there  are  some  even  four  feet  long ;  a 


386  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvii. 

large  one  weighed  twenty  pounds :  on  the  island  of  Albemarle 
they  seem  to  grow  to  a  greater  size  than  elsewhere.  Their  tails 
are  flattened  sideways,  and  all  four  feet  partially  webbed.  They 
are  occasionally  seen  some  hundred  yards  from  the  shore,  swim- 
ming about ;  and  Captain  Collnett,  in  his  Voyage,  says,  "  They 
go  to  sea  in  herds  a-fishing,  and  sun  themselves  on  the  rocks ;  and 
may  be  called  alligators  in  miniature."  It  must  not,  however, 
be  supposed  that  they  live  on  fish.  When  in  the  water  this 
lizard  swims  with  perfect  ease  and  quickness,  by  a  serpentine 
movement  of  its  body  and  flattened  tail — the  legs  being  motion- 
less and  closely  collapsed  on  its  sides.  A  seaman  on  board  sank 
one,  with  a  heavy  weight  attached  to  it,  thinking  thus  to  kill  it 
directly  ;  but  when,  an  hour  afterwards,  he  drew  up  the  line,  it 
was  quite  active.  Their  limbs  and  strong  claws  are  admirably 
adapted  for  crawling  over  the  rugged  and  fissured  masses  of 
lava,  which  everywhere  form  the  coast.  In  such  situations,  a 
group  of  six  or  seven  of  these  hideous  reptiles  may  oftentimes 
be  seen  on  the  black  rocks,  a  few  feet  above  the  surf,  basking 
in  the  sun  with  outstretched  legs. 

I  opened  the  stomachs  of  several,  and  found  them  largely  dis- 
tended with  minced  sea-weed  (Ulvse),  which  grows  in  thir 
foliaceous  expansions  of  a  bright  green  or  a  dull  red  colour.  1 
do  not  recollect  having  observed  this  sea-weed  in  any  quantity 
on  the  tidal  rocks ;  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  it  grows  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  at  some  little  distance  from  the  coast.  If 
such  be  the  case,  the  object  of  these  animals  occasionally  going 
out  to  sea  is  explained.  The  stomach  contained  nothing  but  the 
sea-weed.  Mr.  Bynoe,  however,  found  a  piece  of  a  crab  in  one  ; 
but  this  might  have  got  in  accidentally,  in  the  same  manner  as 
I  have  seen  a  caterpillar,  in  the  midst  of  some  lichen,  in  the 
paunch  of  a  tortoise.  The  intestines  wrere  large,  as  in  other 
herbivorous  animals.  The  nature  of  this  lizard's  food,  as  well 
as  the  structure  of  its  tail  and  feet,  and  the  fact  of  its  having 
been  seen  voluntarily  swimming  out  at  sea,  absolutely  prove  its 
aquatic  habits  ;  yet  there  is  in  this  respect  one  strange  anomaly, 
namely,  that  when  frightened  it  will  not  enter  the  water:  Hence 
it  is  easy  to  drive  these  lizards  down  to  any  little  point  over- 
hanging the  sea,  where  they  will  sooner  allow  a  person  to  catch 
hold  of  their  tails  than  jump  into  the  water.  They  do  not  seem 


1835.]  TERRESTRIAL   AMBLYRHYNCIIUS.  387 

to  have  any  notion  of  biting ;  but  when  much  frightened  they 
squirt  a  drop  of  fluid  ftoin  each  nostril.  I  threw  one  several 
times  as  far  as  I  could,  into  a  deep  pool  left  by  the  retiring  tide  ; 
but  it  invariably  returned  in  a  direct  line  to  the  spot  where  I 
stood.  It  swam  near  the  bottom,  with  a  very  graceful  and 
rapid  movement,  and  occasionally  aided  itself  over  the  uneven 
ground  with  its  feet.  As  soon  as  it  arrived  near  the  edge,  but 
still  being  under  water,  it  tried  to  conceal  itself  in  the  tufts 
of  sea-weed,  or  it  entered  some  crevice.  As  soon  as  it  thought 
the  danger  was  past,  it  crawled  out  on  the  dry  rocks,  and 
shuffled  away  as  quickly  as  it  could.  I  several  times  caught 
this  same  lizard,  by  driving  it  down  to  a  point,  and  though  pos- 
sessed of  such  perfect  powers  of  diving  and  swimming,  nothing 
would  induce  it  to  enter  the  water ;  and  as  often  as  I  threw  it 
in,  it  returned  in  the  manner  above  described.  Perhaps  this 
singular  piece  of  apparent  stupidity  may  be  accounted  for  by 
the  circumstance,  that  this  reptile  has  no  enemy  whatever  on 
shore,  whereas  at  sea  it  must  often  fall  a  prey  to  the  numerous 
sharks.  Hence,  probably,  urged  by  a  fixed  and  hereditary  in- 
stinct that  the  shore  is  its  place  of  safety,  whatever  the  emer- 
gency may  be,  it  there  takes  refuge. 

During  our  visit  (in  October),  I  saw  extremely  few  small 
individuals  of  this  species,  and  none  I  should  think  under  a  year 
old.  From  this  circumstance  it  seems  probable  that  the  breeding 
season  had  not  then  commenced.  I  asked  several  of  the  inha- 
bitants if  they  knew  where  it  laid  its  eggs :  they  said  that 
they  knew  nothing  of  its  propagation,  although  well  acquainted 
with  the  eggs  of  the  land  kind — a  fact,  considering  how  very 
common  this  lizard  is,  not  a  little  extraordinary. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  terrestrial  species  (A.  Demarlii), 
with  a  round  tail,  and  toes  without  webs.  This  lizard,  instead  of 
being  found  like  the  other  on  all  the  islands,  is  confined  to  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  archipelago,  namely  to  Albemarle,  James,  Bar- 
rington,  and  Indefatigable  islands.  To  the  southward,  in  Charles, 
Hood,  and  Chatham  islands,  and  to  the  northward,  in  Towers, 
Bindloes,  and  Abingdon,  I  neither  saw  nor  heard  of  any.  It 
would  appear  as  if  it  had  been  created  in  the  centre  of  the  archi- 
pelago, and  thence  had  been  dispersed  only  to  a  certain  distance. 
Some  of  these  lizards  inhabit  the  high  and  damp  parts  of  the 


388  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CQAP.  XVH. 

islands,  but  they  are  much  more  numerous  in  the  lower  and  ste- 
rile districts  near  the  coast.  I  cannot  give  a  more  forcible  prooi 
of  their  numbers,  than  by  stating  that  when  we  were  left  at  James 
Island,  we  could  not  for  some  time  find  a  spot  free  from  their 
burrows  on  which  to  pitch  our  single  tent.  Like  their  brothers 
the  sea-kind,  they  are  ugly  animals,  of  a  yellowish  orange  beneath, 
and  of  a  brownish  red  colour  above :  from  their  low  facial  angle 
they  have  a  singularly  stupid  appearance.  They  are,  perhaps, 
of  a  rather  less  size  than  the  marine  species ;  but  several  of 
them  weighed  between  ten  and  fifteen  pounds.  In  their  move- 
ments they  are  lazy  and  half  torpid.  When  not  frightened,  they 
slowly  crawl  along  with  their  tails  and  bellies  dragging  on  the 
ground.  They  often  stop,  and  doze  for  a  minute  or  two,  with 
closed  eyes  and  hind  legs  spread  out  on  the  parched  soil. 

They  inhabit  burrows,  which  they  sometimes  make  between 
fragments  of  lava,  but  more  generally  on  level  patches  of  the 
soft  sandstone-like  tuff.  The  holes  do  not  appear  to  be  very 
deep,  and  they  enter  the  ground  at  a  small  angle ;  so  that  when 
walking  over  these  lizard- warrens,  the  soil  is  constantly  giving 
way,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  tired  walker.  This  animal, 
when  making  its  burrow,  works  alternately  the  opposite  sides  of 
its  body.  One  front  leg  for  a  short  time  scratches  up  the  soil, 
and  throws  it  towards  the  hind  foot,  which  is  well  placed  so  as 
to  heave  it  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  hole.  That  side  of  the 
body  being  tired,  the  other  takes  up  the  task,  and  so  on  alter- 
nately. I  watched  one  for  a  long  time,  till  half  its  body  was 
buried  ;  I  then  walked  up  and  pulled  it  by  the  tall ;  at  this  it 
was  greatly  astonished,  and  soon  shuffled  up  to  see  what  was  the 
matter ;  and  then  stared  me  in  the  face,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  What  made  you  pull  my  tail  ?  " 

They  feed  by  day,  and  do  not  wander  far  from  their  burrows  ; 
if  frightened,  they  rush  to  them  with  a  most  awkward  gait. 
Except  when  running  down  hill,  they  cannot  move  very  fast, 
apparently  from  the  lateral  position  of  their  legs.  They  are  not 
at  all  timorous :  when  attentively  watching  any  one,  they  curl 
their  tails,  and,  raising  themselves  on  their  front  legs,  nod  their 
heads  vertically,  with  a  quick  movement,  and  try  to  look  very 
fierce :  but  in  reality  they  are  not  at  all  so ;  if  one  just  stamps 
on  the  ground,  down  go  their  tails,  and  off  they  shuffle  as  quickly 


1835.]  TERRESTRIAL   AMBLYRHYNCIIUS.  389 

as  they  can.  I  have  frequently  observed  small  fly-eating  lizards, 
when  watching  anything,  nod  their  heads  in  precisely  the  same 
manner ;  but  I  do  not  at  all  know  for  what  purpose.  If  this 
Amblyrhynchus  is  held  and  plagued  with  a  stick,  it  will  bite 
it  very  severely;  but  I  caught  many  by  the  tail,  and  they 
never  tried  to  bite  me.  If  two  are  placed  on  the  ground  and 
held  together,  they  will  fight,  and  bite  each  other  till  blood  is 
drawn.  • 

The  individuals,  and  they  are  the  greater  number,  which  in- 
habit the  lower  country,  can  scarcely  taste  a  drop  of  water 
throughout  the  year  ;  but  they  consume  much  of  the  succulent 
cactus,  the  branches  of  which  are  occasionally  broken  off  by  the 
wind.  I  several  times  threw  a  piece  to  two  or  three  of  them 
when  together ;  and  it  was  amusing  enough  to  see  them  trying  to 
seize  and  carry  it  away  in  their  mouths,  like  so  many  hungry  dogs 
with  a  bone.  They  eat  very  deliberately,  but  do  not  chew  their 
food.  The  little  birds  are  aware  how  harmless  these  creatures 
are:  I  have  seen  one  of  the  thick-billed  finches  picking  at  one 
end  of  a  piece  of  cactus  (which  is  much  relished  by  all  the  ani- 
mals of  the  lower  region),  whilst  a  lizard  was  eating  at  the  other 
end  ;  and  afterwards  the  little  bird  with  the  utmost  indifference 
hopped  on  the  back  of  the  reptile. 

I  opened  the  stomachs  of  several,  and  found  them  full  of  ve- 
getable fibres  and  leaves  of  different  trees,  especially  of  an  acacia. 
In  the  upper  region  they  live  chiefly  on  the  acid  and  astringent 
berries  of  the  guayavila,  under  which  trees  I  have  seen  these 
lizards  and  the  huge  tortoises  feeding  together.  To  obtain  the 
acacia-leaves  they  crawl  up  the  low  stunted  trees ;  and  it  is  not 
uncommon  to  see  a  pair  quietly  browsing,  whilst  seated  on  a 
branch  several  feet  above  the  ground.  These  lizards,  when 
cooked,  yield  a  white  meat,  which  is  liked  by  those  whose  sto- 
machs soar  above  all  prejudices.  Humboldt  has  remarked  that 
in  intertropical  South  America,  all  lizards  which  inhabit  dry 
regions  are  esteemed  delicacies  for  the  table.  The  inhabitants 
state  that  those  which  inhabit  the  upper  damp  parts  drink  water, 
but  that  the  others  do  not,  like  the  tortoises,  travel  up  for  it  from 
the  lower  sterile  country.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  females 
had  within  their  bodies  numerous,  large,  elongated  eggs,  which 
they  lay  in  their  burrows :  the  inhabitants  seek  them  for  food. 


390  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

These  two  species  of  Amblyrhynchus  agree,  as  I  have  already 
stated,  in  their  general  structure,  and  in  many  of  their  habits. 
Neither  have  that  rapid  movement,  so  characteristic  of  the  genera 
Lacerta  and  Iguana.  They  are  both  herbivorous,  although  the 
kind  of  vegetation  on  which  they  feed  is  so  very  different.  Mr. 
Bell  has  given  the  name  to  the  genus  from  the  shortness  of  the 
snout ;  indeed,  the  form  of  the  mouth  may  almost  be  compared 
to  that  of  the  tortoise:  one  is  led  to  suppose  that  this  is  an 
adaptation  to  their  herbivorous  appetites.  It  is  very  interesting 
thus  to  find  a  well-characterized  genus,  having  its  marine  and 
terrestrial  species,  belonging  to  so  confined  a  portion  of  the 
world.  The  aquatic  species  is  by  far  the  most  remarkable,  be- 
cause it  is  the  only  existing  lizard  which  lives  on  marine  vege- 
table productions.  As  I  at  first  observed,  these  islands  are  not 
so  remarkable  for  the  number  of  the  species  of  reptiles,  as  for 
that  of  the  individuals  ;  when  we  remember  the  well-beaten  paths 
made  by  the  thousands  of  huge  tortoises — the  many  turtles — the 
great  warrens  of  the  terrestrial  Amblyrhynchus — and  the  groups 
of  the  marine  species  basking  on  the  coast-rocks  of  every  island 
— we  must  admit  that  there  is  no  other  quarter  of  the  world 
where  this  Order  replaces  the  herbivorous  mammalia  in  so  extra- 
ordinary a  manner.  The  geologist  on  hearing  this  will  probably 
refer  back  in  his  mind  to  the  Secondary  epochs,  when  lizards,  some 
herbivorous,  some  carnivorous,  and  of  dimensions  comparable  only 
with  our  existing  whales,  swarmed  on  the  land  and  in  the  sea.  It 
is,  therefore,  worthy  of  his  observation,  that  this  archipelago,  in- 
stead of  possessing  a  humid  climate  and  rank  vegetation,  cannot 
be  considered  otherwise  than  extremely  arid,  and,  for  an  equa- 
torial region,  remarkably  temperate. 

To  finish  with  the  zoology  :  the  fifteen  kinds  of  sea-fish  which 
I  procured  here  are  all  new  species  ;  they  belong  to  twelve  ge- 
nera, all  widely  distributed,  with  the  exception  of  Prionotus,  of 
which,  the  four  previously  known  species  live  on  the  eastern  side 
of  America.  Of  land-shells  I  collected  sixteen  kinds  (and  two 
marked  varieties),  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  one  Helix 
found  at  Tahiti,  all  are  peculiar  to  this  archipelago :  a  single 
fresh-water  shell  (Paludina)  is  common  to  Tahiti  and  Van  Die- 
men's  Land.  Mr.  Cuming,  before  our  voyage,  procured  here 
ninety  species  of  sea-shells,  and  this  does  not  include  several 


1835.]  DISTRIBUTION   OF  THE   SHELLS.  391 

species  not  yet  specifically  examined,  of  Trochus,  Turbo,  Mono- 
donta,  and  Kassa.  He  has  been  kind  enough  to  give  me  the 
following  interesting  results :  of  the  ninety  shells,  no  less  than 
forty-seven  are  unknown  elsewhere — a  wonderful  fact,  consider- 
ing how  widely  distributed  sea-shells  generally  are.  Of  the 
forty -three  shells  found  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  twenty-five 
inhabit  the  western  coast  of  America,  and  of  these  eight  are  dis- 
tinguishable as  varieties  ;  the  remaining  eighteen  (including  one 
variety)  were  found  by  Mr.  Cuming  in  the  Low  archipelago,  and 
some  of  them  also  at  the  Philippines.  This  fact  of  shells  from 
islands  in  the  central  parts  of  the  Pacific  occurring  here,  deserves 
notice,  for  not  one  single  sea-shell  is  known  to  be  common  to 
the  islands  of  that  ocean  and  to  the  west  coast  of  America.  The 
space  of  open  sea  running  north  and  south  off  the  west  coast, 
separates  two  quite  distinct  conchological  provinces ;  but  at  the 
Galapagos  Archipelago  we  have  a  halting-place,  where  many 
new  forms  have  been  created,  and  whither  these  two  great  concho- 
logical provinces  have  each  sent  several  colonists.  The  Ame- 
rican province  has  also  sent  here  representative  species ;  for 
there  is  a  Galapageian  species  of  Monoceros,  a  genus  only  found 
on  the  west  coast  of  America ;  and  there  are  Galapageian  species 
of  Fissurella  and  Cancellaria,  genera  common  on  the  west  coast, 
but  not  found  (as  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Cuming)  in  the  central 
islands  of  the  Pacific.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  Galapa- 
<?eian  species  of  Oniscia  and  Stylifer,  genera  common  to  the  West 
Indies  and  to  the  Chinese  and  Indian  seas,  but  not  found  either 
on  the  west  coast  of  America  or  in  the  central  Pacific.  I  may 
here  add,  that  after  the  comparison  by  Messrs.  Cuming  and  Hinds 
of  about  2000  shells  from  the  eastern  and  western  coasts  of  Ame- 
rica, only  one  single  shell  was  found  in  common,  namely,  the 
Purpura  patula,  which  inhabits  the  West  Indies,  the  coast  of 
Panama,  and  the  Galapagos.  We  have,  therefore,  in  this  quarter 
of  the  world,  three  great  conchological  sea-provinces,  quite  dis- 
tinct, though  surprisingly  near  each  other,  being  separated  by 
long  north  and  south  spaces  either  of  land  or  of  open  sea. 

I  took   great  pains  in  collecting  the  insects,  but,  excepting 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  I  never  saw  in  this  respect  so  poor  a  country. 
Even  in  the  upper  and  damp  region  I  procured  very  few,  except- 
ing some  minute  Diptera  and  Hymenoptera,  mostly  of  common 
26 


392  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

mundane  forms.  As  before  remarked,  the  insects,  for  a  tropical 
region,  are  of  very  small  size  and  dull  colours.  Of  beetles  I  col- 
lected twenty-five  species  (excluding  a  Dermestes  and  Corynetes 
imported,  wherever  a  ship  touches)  ;  of  these,  two  belong  to  the 
Harpalidae,  two  to  the  Hydrophilidse,  nine  to  three  families  of  the 
Heteromera,  and  the  remaining  twelve  to  as  many  different  fami- 
lies. This  circumstance  of  insects  (and  I  may  add  plants),  where 
few  in  number,  belonging  to  many  different  families,  is,  I  believe, 
very  general.  Mr.  Waterhouse,  who  has  published  *  an  account 
of  the  insects  of  this  archipelago,  and  to  whom  I  am  indebted 
for  the  above  details,  informs  me  that  there  are  several  new 
genera ;  and  that  of  the  genera  not  new,  one  or  two  art 
American,  and  the  rest  of  mundane  distribution.  With  the 
exception  of  a  wood-feeding  Apate,  and  of  one  or  probably  two 
water-beetles  from  the  American  continent,  all  the  species  appear 
to  be  new. 

The  botany  of  this  group  is  fully  as  interesting  as  the  zoology. 
Dr.  J.  Hooker  will  soon  publish  in  the  '  Linnean  Transactions  ' 
a  full  account  of  the  Flora,  and  I  am  much  indebted  to  him  for 
the  following  details.  Of  flowering  plants  there  are,  as  far  as  at 
present  is  known,  185  species,  and  40  cryptogamic  species,  mak- 
ing together  225  ;  of  this  number  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  bring 
home  193.  Of  the  flowering  plants,  100  are  new  species,  and 
are  probably  confined  to  this  archipelago.  Dr.  Hooker  conceives 
that,  of  the  plants  not  so  confined,  at  least  10  species  found  near 
the  cultivated  ground  at  Charles  Island,  have  been  imported. 
It  is,  I  think,  surprising  that  more  American  species  have 
not  been  introduced  naturally,  considering  that  the  distance  is 
only  between  500  and  600  miles  from  the  continent ;  and  that 
(according  to  Collnett,  p.  58)  drift-wood,  bamboos,  canes,  and  the 
nuts  of  a  palm,  are  often  washed  on  the  south-eastern  shores. 
The  proportion  of  100  flowering  plants  out  of  185  (or  175  ex- 
cluding the  imported  weeds)  being  new,  is  sufficient,  I  conceive, 
to  make  the  Galapagos  Archipelago  a  distinct  botanical  province  ; 
but  this  Flora  is  not  nearly  so  peculiar  as  that  of  St.  Helena,  nor, 
as  I  am  informed  by  Dr.  Hooker,  of  Juan  Fernandez.  The  pe- 
culiarity of  the  Galapageian  Flora  is  best  shown  in  certain  fami 

•  Ann.  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  xvi.  p.  19. 


1835.]         DISTRIBUTION   OF   THE   ORGANIC   BEINGS.  393 

lies  ;— thus  there  are  21  species  of  Composite,  of  which  20  are 
peculiar  to  this  archipelago ;  these  belong  to  twelve  genera,  and 
of  these  genera  no  less  than  ten  are  confined  to  the  archi- 
pelago !  Dr.  Hooker  informs  me  that  the  Flora  has  an  undoubted 
Western  American  character ;  nor  can  he  detect  in  it  any  affinity 
with  that  of  the  Pacific.  If,  therefore,  we  except  the  eighteen 
marine,  the  one  fresh-water,  and  one  land-shell,  which  have 
apparently  come  here  as  colonists  from  the  central  islands  of 
the  Pacific,  and  likewise  the  one  distinct  Pacific  species  of 
the  Galapageian  group  of  finches,  we  see  that  this  archipelago, 
though  standing  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  is  zoologically  part  of 
America. 

If  this  character  were  owing  merely  to  immigrants  from  Ame- 
rica, there  would  be  little  remarkable  in  it ;  but  we  see  that  a 
vast  majority  of  all  the  land  animals,  and  that  more  than  half  of 
the  flowering  plants,  are  aboriginal  productions.  It  was  most 
striking  to  be  surrounded  by  new  birds,  new  reptiles,  new  shells, 
new  insects,  new  plants,  and  yet  by  innumerable  trifling  details 
of  structure,  and  even  by  the  tones  of  voice  and  plumage  of  the 
birds,  to  have  the  temperate  plains  of  Patagonia,  or  the  hot  dry 
deserts  of  Northern  Chile,  vividly  brought  before  my  eyes. 
Why,  on  these  small  points  of  land,  which  within  a  late  geolo- 
gical period  must  have  been  covered  by  the  ocean,  which  are  formed 
of  basaltic  lava,  and  therefore  differ  in  geological  character 
from  the  American  continent,  and  which  are  placed  under  a  pe- 
culiar climate, — why  were  their  aboriginal  inhabitants,  associated, 
I  may  add,  in  different  proportions  both  in  kind  and  number 
from  those  on  the  continent,  and  therefore  acting  on  each  other 
in  a  different  manner — why  were  they  created  on  American 
types  of  organization  ?  It  is  probable  that  the  islands  of  the 
Cape  de  Verd  group  resemble,  in  all  their  physical  conditions, 
far  more  closely  the  Galapagos  Islands  than  these  latter  phy- 
sically resemble  the  coast  of  America ;  yet  the  aboriginal  inha- 
bitants of  the  two  groups  are  totally  unlike  ;  those  of  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands  bearing  the  impress  of  Africa,  as  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Galapagos  Archipelago  are  stamped  with  that  of  America. 

I  have  not  as  yet  noticed  by  far  the  most  remarkable  feature 
in  the  natural  history  of  this  archipelago  ;  it  is,  that  the  different 


394  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

islands  to  a  considerable  extent  are  inhabited  by  a  different  set 
of  beings.  My  attention  was  first  called  to  this  fact  by  the  Vice- 
Governor,  Mr.  Lavvson,  declaring  that  the  tortoises  differed  from 
the  different  islands,  arid  that  he  could  with  certainty  tell  from 
which  island  any  one  was  brought.  I  did  not  for  some  time 
pay  sufficient  attention  to  this  statement,  and  I  had  already  par- 
tially mingled  together  the  collections  from  two  of  the  islands. 
I  never  dreamed  that  islands,  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  apart,  and 
most  of  them  in  sight  of  each  other,  formed  of  precisely  the  same 
rocks,  placed  under  a  quite  similar  climate,  rising  to  a  nearly 
equal  height,  would  have  been  differently  tenanted ;  but  we  shall 
soon  see  that  this  is  the  case.  It  is  the  fate  of  most  voyagers,  no 
sooner  to  discover  what  is  most  interesting  in  any  locality,  than 
they  are  hurried  from  it ;  but  I  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  thankful 
that  I  obtained  sufficient  materials  to  establish  this  most  remark- 
able fact  in  the  distribution  of  organic  beings. 

The  inhabitants,  as  I  have  said,  state  that  they  can  distinguish 
the  tortoises  from  the  different  islands ;  and  that  they  differ  not 
only  in  size,  but  in  other  characters.  Captain  Porter  has  de- 
scribed *  those  from  Charles  and  from  the  nearest  island  to  it, 
namely,  Hood  Island,  as  having  their  shells  in  front  thick  and 
turned  up  like  a  Spanish  saddle,  whilst  the  tortoises  from  James 
Island  are  rounder,  blacker,  and  have  a  better  taste  when  cooked. 
M.  Bibron,  moreover,  informs  me  that  he  has  seen  what  he  con- 
siders two  distinct  species  of  tortoise  from  the  Galapagos,  but  he 
does  not  know  from  which  islands.  The  specimens  that  I  brought 
from  three  islands  were  young  ones ;  and  probably  owing  to  this 
cause,  neither  Mr.  Gray  nor  myself  could  find  in  them  any  specific 
differences.  I  have  remarked  that  the  marine  Amblyrhynchus 
was  larger  at  Albemarle  Island  than  elsewhere ;  and  M.  Bibron 
informs  me  that  he  has  seen  two  distinct  aquatic  species  of  this 
genus ;  so  that  the  different  islands  probably  have  their  repre- 
sentative species  or  races  of  the  Amblyrhynchus,  as  well  as  of  the 
tortoise.  My  attention  was  first  thoroughly  aroused,  by  compar- 
ing together  the  numerous  specimens,  shot  by  myself  and  several 
other  parties  on  board,  of  the  mocking-thrushes,  when,  to  my 
astonishment,  I  discovered  that  all  those  from  Charles  Island 

*  Voyage  in  the  U.  S,  ship  Essex,  vol.  i.  p.  215. 


1835.]        DISTRIBUTION   OF   THE   ORGANIC  BEINGS.  395 

belonged  to  one  species  (Mimus  trifasciatus)  ;  all  from  Albemarle 
Island  to  M.  parvulus ;  and  all  from  James  and  Chatham  Islands 
(between  which  two  other  islands  are  situated,  as  connecting 
links)  belonged  to  M.  melanotis.  These  two  latter  species  are 
closely  allied,  and  would  by  some  ornithologists  be  considered  as 
only  well-marked  races  or  varieties ;  but  the  Mimus  trifasciatus 
is  very  distinct.  Unfortunately  most  of  the  specimens  of  the 
finch  tribe  were,  mingled  together ;  but  I  have  strong  reasons  to 
suspect  that  some  of  the  species  of  the  sub-group  Geospiza  are 
confined  to  separate  islands.  If  the  different  islands  have  their 
representatives  of  Geospiza,  it  may  help  to  explain  the  singularly 
large  number  of  the  species  of  this  sub-group  in  this  one  small 
archipelago,  and  as  a  probable  consequence  of  their  numbers, 
the  perfectly  graduated  series  in  the  size  of  their  beaks.  Two 
species  of  the  sub-group  Cactornis,  and  two  of  Camarhynchus, 
were  procured  in  the  archipelago ;  and  of  the  numerous  speci- 
mens of  these  two  sub-groups  shdt  by  four  collectors  at  James 
Island,  all  were  found  to  belong  to  one  species  of  each  ;  whereas 
the  numerous  specimens  shot  either  on  Chatham  or  Charles 
Island  (for  the  two  sets  were  mingled  together)  all  belonged  to 
the  two  other  species :  hence  we  may  feel  almost  sure  that  these 
islands  possess  their  representative  species  of  these  two  sub-groups. 
In  land-shells  this  law  of  distribution  does  not  appear  to  hold 
good.  In  my  very  small  collection  of  insects,  Mr.  Waterhouse 
remarks,  that  of  those  which  were  ticketed  with  their  locality, 
not  one  was  common  to  any  two  of  the  islands. 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  Flora,  we  shall  find  the  aboriginal 
plants  of  the  different  islands  wonderfully  different.  I  give  all 
the  following  results  on  the  high  authority  of  my  friend  Dr, 
J.  Hooker.  I  may  premise  that  I  indiscriminately  collected 
everything  in  flower  on  the  different  islands,  and  fortunatelv 
kept  my  collections  separate.  Too  much  confidence,  however, 
must  not  be  placed  in  the  proportional  results,  as  the  small  col- 
lections brought  home  by  some  other  naturalists,  though  in  some 
respects  confirming  the  results,  plainly  show  that  much  remains 
to  be  done  in  the  botany  of  this  group  :  the  Leguminosae,  more- 
over, have  as  yet  been  only  approximately  worked  out :— 


396 


GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO. 


[CHAP.  xvn. 


Name 
of 
Island. 

Total 
No.  of 
Species. 

No.  of 
Species 
found  in 
other  parts 
of  the 
world. 

No.  of 

Species 
confined 
to  the 
Galapagos 
Archipelago 

No. 
confined 
to  the 
one 
Island. 

No,  of  Species 
confined  to  the 
Galapagos 
Archipelago, 
but  found  on 
more  than  the 
one  Island. 

James  Island 

71 

33 

38 

30 

8 

AJbemarle  Island 

46 

18 

26 

22 

4 

Chatham  Island. 

32 

16 

16 

12 

4 

Charles  Island    . 

68 

39 

29 

21 

8 

(or  29,  if  the 

probably  im- 

ported plants 

be  subtracted) 

Hence  we  have  the  truly  wonderful  fact,  that  in  James  Island, 
of  the  thirty-eight  Galapageian  plants,  or  those  found  in  no 
other  part  of  the  world,  thirty  are  exclusively  confined  to  this 
one  island ;  and  in  Albemarle  Island,  of  the  twenty-six  abori- 
ginal Galapageian  plants,  twenty-two  are  confined  to  this  one 
island,  that  is,  only  four  are  at  present  known  to  grow  in  the 
other  islands  of  the  archipelago ;  and  so  on,  as  shown  in  the 
^bove  table,  with  the  plants  from  Chatham  and  Charles  Islands. 
This  fact  will,  perhaps,  be  rendered  even  more  striking,  by 
giving  a  few  illustrations  : — thus,  Scalesia,  a  remarkable  arbo- 
rescent genus  of  the  Compositse,  is  confined  to  the  archipe- 
lago :  it  has  six  species ;  one  from  Chatham,  one  from  Albe- 
marle, one  from  Charles  Island,  two  from  James  Island,  and  the 
sixth  from  one  of  the  three  latter  islands,  but  it  is  not  known 
from  which :  not  one  of  these  six  species  grows  on  any  two 
islands.  Again,  Euphorbia,  a  mundane  or  widely  distributed 
genus,  has  here  eight  species,  of  which  seven  are  confined  to  the 
archipelago,  and  not  one  found  on  any  two  islands :  Acalypha 
and  Borreria,  both  mundane  genera,  have  respectively  six  and 
seven  species,  none  of  which  have  the  same  species  on  two  islands, 
with  the  exception  of  one  Borreria,  which  does  occur  on  two 
islands.  The  species  of  the  Composite  are  particularly  local ; 
and  Dr.  Hooker  has  furnished  me  with  several  other  most  st/ik- 
ing  illustrations  of  the  difference  of  the  species  on  the  different 


1835.]         DISTRIBUTION   OF  THE   ORGANIC   BEINGS.  397 

islands.  He  remarks  that  this  law  of  distribution  holds  good 
both  with  those  genera  confined  to  the  archipelago,  and  those  dis- 
tributed in  other  quarters  of  the  world  :  in  like  manner  we  have 
seen  that  the  different  islands  have  their  proper  species  of  the 
mundane  genus  of  tortoise,  and  of  the  widely  distributed  Ame- 
rican genus  of  the  mocking-thrush,  as  well  as  of  two  of  the  Ga- 
lapageian  sub-groups  of  finches,  and  almost  certainly  of  the 
Galapageian  genus  Amblyrhynchus. 

The  distribution  of  the  tenants  of  this  archipelago  would  not 
be  nearly  so  wonderful,  if,  for  instance,  one  island  had  a  mock- 
ing-thrush,  and  a  second  island  some  other  quite  distinct  genus  ; 
— if  one  island  had  its  genus  of  lizard,  and  a  second  island 
another  distinct  genus,  or  none  whatever ; — or  if  the  different 
islands  were  inhabited,  not  by  representative  species  of  the  same 
genera  of  plants,  but  by  totally  different  genera,  as  does  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  hold  good  ;  for,  to  give  one  instance,  a  large  berry- 
hearing  tree  at  James  Island  has  no  representative  species  in 
Charles  Island.  But  it  is  the  circumstance,  that  several  of  the 
islands  possess  their  own  species  of  the  tortoise,  mocking-thrush, 
finches,  and  numerous  plants,  these  species  having  the  same 
general  habits,  occupying  analogous  situations,  and  obviously 
filling  the  same  place  in  the  natural  economy  of  this  archipelago, 
that  strikes  me  with  wonder.  It  may  be  suspected  that  some  of 
these  representative  species,  at  least  in  the  case  of  the  tor- 
toise and  of  some  of  the  birds,  may  hereafter  prove  to  be  only 
well-marked  races ;  but  this  would  be  of  equally  great  interest 
to  tho  philosophical  naturalist.  I  have  said  that  most  of  the 
islands  are  in  sight  of  each  other :  I  may  specify  that  Charles 
Island  is  fifty  miles  from  the  nearest  part  of  Chatham  Island,  and 
thirty-thiee  miles  from  the  nearest  part  of  Albemarle  Island. 
Chatham  Island  is  sixty  miles  from  the  nearest  part  of  Jame> 
Island,  but  there  are  two  intermediate  islands  between  them 
which  were  not  visited  by  me.  James  Island  is  only  ten  miles 
from  the  nearest  part  of  Albemarle  Island,  but  the  two  points 
where  the  collections  were  made  are  thirty-two  miles  apart.  1 
must  lepeat,  that  neither  the  nature  of  the  soil,  nor  height  of  the 
land,  nor  the  climate,  nor  the  general  character  of  the  associated 
beings,  and  therefore  their  action  one  on  another,  can  differ  much 
in  the  different  islands.  If  there  be  any  sensible  difference  ic 


398  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

their  climates,  it  must  be  between  the  windward  group  (namely 
Charles  and  Chatham  Islands),  and  that  to  leeward  ;  but  there 
seems  to  be  no  corresponding  difference  in  the  productions  of 
these  two  halves  of  the  archipelago. 

The  only  light  which  I  can  throw  on  this  remarkable  differ- 
ence in  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  islands,  is,  that  very  strong 
currents  of  the  sea  running  in  a  westerly  and  W.N.W.  direction 
must  separate,  as  far  as  transportal  by  the  sea  is  concerned,  the 
southern  islands  from  the  northern  ones ;  and  between  these 
northern  islands  a  strong  N.W.  current  was  observed,  which 
must  effectually  separate  James  and  Albemarle  Islands.  As  the 
archipelago  is  free  to  a  most  remarkable  degree  from  gales  of  wind, 
neither  the  birds,  insects,  nor  lighter  seeds,  would  be  blown  from 
island  to  island.  And  lastly,  the  profound  depth  of  the  ocean 
between  the  islands,  and  their  apparently  recent  (in  a  geological 
sense)  volcanic  origin,  render  it  highly  unlikely  that  they  were 
ever  united  ;  and  this,  probably,  is  a  far  more  important,  consi- 
deration than  any  other,  with  respect  to  the  geographical  distri- 
bution of  their  inhabitants.  Reviewing  the  facts  here  given,  one 
is  astonished  at  the  amount  of  creative  force,  if  such  an  expres- 
sion may  be  used,  displayed  on  these  small,  barren,  and  rocky 
islands ;  and  still  more  so,  at  its  diverse  yet  analogous  action  on 
points  so  near  each  other.  I  have  said  that  the  Galapagos  Archi- 
pelago might  be  called  a  satellite  attached  to  America,  but  it 
should  rather  be  called  a  group  of  satellites,  physically  similar, 
organically  distinct,  yet  intimately  related  to  each  other,  and  all 
related  in  a  marked,  though  much  lesser  degree,  to  the  great 
American  continent. 

I  will  conclude  my  description  of  the  natural  history  of  these 
islands,  by  giving  an  account  of  the  extreme  tameness  of  the 
birds. 

This  disposition  is  common  to  all  the  terrestrial  species; 
namely,  to  the  mocking- thrushes,  the  finches,  wrens,  tyrant-fly- 
catchers, the  dove,  and  carrion-buzzard.  All  of  them  often 
approached  sufficiently  near  to  be  killed  with  a  switch,  and 
sometimes,  as  I  myself  tried,  with  a  cap  or  hat.  A  gun  is  here 
almost  superfluous ;  for  with  the  muzzle  I  pushed  a  hawk  off  the 
branch  of  a  tree.  One  day,  whilst  lying  down,  a  mocking- 


1835.]  TAMEXESS   OF  THE   BIRDS.  399 

thrush  alighted  on  the  edge  of  a  pitcher,  made  of  the  shell  of 
a  tortoise,  which  I  held  in  my  hand,  and  began  very  quietly  to 
sip  the  water ;  it  allowed  me  to  lift  it  from  the  ground  whilst 
seated  on  the  vessel :  I  often  tried,  and  very  nearly  succeeded,  in 
catching  these  birds  by  their  legs.  Formerly  the  birds  appear  to 
have  been  even  tamer  than  at  present.  Cowley  (in  the  year  1684) 
says  that  the  "  Turtle-doves  were  so  tame,  that  they  would  often 
alight  upon  our  hats  and  arms,  so  as  that  we  could  take  them 
alive:  they  not  fearing  man,  until  such  time  as  some  of  our  com- 
pany did  fire  at  them,  whereby  they  were  rendered  more  shy." 
Dampier  also,  in  the  same  year,  says  that  a  man  in  a  morning's 
walk  might  kill  six  or  seven  dozen  of  these  doves.  At  present, 
although  certainly  very  tame,  they  do  not  alight  on  people's 
arms,  nor  do  they  suffer  themselves  to  be  killed  in  such  large 
numbers.  It  is  surprising  that  they  have  not  become  wilder ; 
for  these  islands  during  the  last  hundred  and  fifty  years  have 
been  frequently  visited  by  bucaniers  and  whalers ;  and  the  sailors, 
wandering  through  the  woods  in  search  of  tortoises,  always  take 
cruel  delight  in  knocking  down  the  little  birds. 

These  birds,  although  now  still  more  persecuted,  do  not  readily 
become  wild :  in  Charles  Island,  which  had  then  been  colonized 
about  six  years,  I  saw  a  boy  sitting  by  a  well  with  a  switch  in  his 
hand,  with  which  he  killed  the  doves  and  finches  as  they  came  to 
drink.  He  had  already  procured  a  little  heap  of  them  for  his 
dinner ;  and  he  said  that  he  had  constantly  been  in  the  habit  of 
waiting  by  this  well  for  the  same  purpose.  It  would  appear  that 
the  birds  of  this  archipelago,  not  having  as  yet  learnt  that  man  is 
a  more  dangerous  animal  than  the  tortoise  or  the  Amblyrhynchus, 
disregard  him,  in  the  same  manner  as  in  England  shy  birds,  such 
as  magpies,  disregard  the  cows  and  horses  grazing  in  our  fields. 

The  Falkland  Islands  offer  a  second  instance  of  birds  with  a 
similar  disposition.  The  extraordinary  tameness  of  the  little 
Opetiorhynchus  has  been  remarked  by  Pernety,  Lesson,  and  other 
voyagers.  It  is  not,  however,  peculiar  to  that  bird :  the  Poly- 
borus,  snipe,  upland  and  lowland  goose,  thrush,  bunting,  and 
even  some  true  hawks,  are  all  more  or  less  tame.  As  the  birds 
are  so  tame  there,  where  foxes,  hawks,  and  owls  occur,  we  may 
infer  that  the  absence  of  all  rapacious  animals  at  the  Galapagos, 
is  not  the  cause  of  their  tameness  here.  The  upland  speese  at 


400  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

the  Falklands  show,  by  the  precaution  they  take  in  building  on 
the  islets,  that  they  are  aware  of  their  danger  from  the  foxes ; 
but  they  are  not  by  this  rendered  wild  towards  man.  This  tame- 
ness  of  the  birds,  especially  of  the  waterfowl,  is  strongly  con- 
trasted with  the  habits  of  the  same  species  in  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
where  for  ages  past  they  have  been  persecuted  by  the  wild  inha- 
bitants. In  the  Falklands,  the  sportsman  may  sometimes  kill 
more  of  the  upland  geese  in  one  day  than  he  can  carry  home ; 
whereas  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  it  is  nearly  as  difficult  to  kill  one, 
as  it  is  in  England  to  shoot  the  common  wild  goose. 

In  the  time  of  Pernety  (1763),  all  the  birds  there  appear  to 
have  been  much  tamer  than  at  present ;  he  states  that  the  Ope- 
tiorhynchus  would  almost  perch  on  his  finger ;  and  that  with  a 
wand  he  killed  ten  in  half  an  hour.  At  that  period  the  birds 
must  have  been  about  as  tame,  as  they  now  are  at  the  Galapagos. 
They  appear  to  have  learnt  caution  more  slowly  at  these  latter 
islands  than  at  the  Falklands,  where  they  have  had  proportionate 
means  of  experience ;  for  besides  frequent  visits  from  vessels, 
those  islands  have  been  at  intervals  colonized  during  the  entire 
period.  Even  formerly,  when  all  the  birds  were  so  tame,  it  was 
impossible  by  Pernety's  account  to  kill  the  black-necked  swan 
— a  bird  of  passage,  which  probably  brought  with  it  the  wisdom 
learnt  in  foreign  countries. 

I  may  add  that,  according  to  Du  Bois,  all  the  birds  at  Bour- 
bon in  1571-72,  with  the  exception  of  the  flamingoes  and  geese, 
were  so  extremely  tame,  that  they  could  be  caught  by  the  hand, 
or  killed  in  any  number  with  a  stick.  Again,  at  Tristan  d'A- 
cunha  in  the  Atlantic,  Carmichael*  states  that  the  only  two 
land-birds,  a  thrush  and  a  bunting,  were  "  so  tame  as  to  suffer 
themselves  to  be  caught  with  a  hand-net."  From  these  several 
facts  we  may,  I  think,  conclude,  first,  that  the  wildness  of  birds 

*  Linn.  Trans.,  vol.  xii.  p.  496.  The  most  anomalous  fact  on  this  sub- 
ject which  I  have  met  with,  is  the  wildness  of  the  small  birds  in  the  Arctic 
parts  of  North  America  (as  described  by  Richardson,  Fauna  Bor.,  vol.  ii. 
p.  332),  where  they  are  said  never  to  be  persecuted.  This  case  is  the  more 
strange,  because  it  is  asserted  that  some  of  the  same  species  in  their  winter- 
quarters  in  the  United  States  are  tame.  There  is  much,  as  Dr.  Richardson 
well  remarks,  utterly  inexplicable  connected  with  the  different  degrees  of 
shyness  and  care  with  which  birds  conceal  their  nests.  How  strange  it  is 
that  the  English  wood-pigeon,  generally  so  wild  a  bird,  should  very  fre 
quently  rear  its  young  in  shrubberies  close  to  houses ! 


1835.]  FEAR,   AN  ACQUIRED   INSTINCT.  401 

with  regard  to  man,  is  a  particular  instinct  directed  against  him, 
and  not  dependent  on  any  general  degree  of  caution  arising  from 
other  sources  of  danger ;  secondly,  that  it  is  not  acquired  by  in- 
dividual birds  in  a  short  time,  even  when  much  persecuted  ;  but 
that  in  the  course  of  successive  generations  it  becomes  hereditary. 
With  domesticated  animals  we  are  accustomed  to  see  new  mental 
habits  or  instincts  acquired  and  rendered  hereditary ;  but  with 
animals  in  a  state  of  nature,  it  must  always  be  most  difficult  to 
discover  instances  of  acquired  hereditary  knowledge.  In  regard 
to  the  wildness  of  birds  towards  man,  there  is  no  way  of  account- 
ing for  it,  except  as  an  inherited  habit :  comparatively  few  young 
birds,  in  any  one  year,  have  been  injured  by  man  in  England, 
yet  almost  all,  even  nestlings,  are  afraid  of  him  ;  many  indivi- 
duals, on  the  other  hand,  both  at  the  Galapagos  and  at  the  Falk- 
lands,  have  been  pursued  and  injured  by  man,  but  yet  have  not 
learned  a  salutary  dread  of  him.  We  may  infer  from  these  facts, 
what  havoc  the  introduction  of  any  new  beast  of  prey  must  cause 
in  a  country,  before  the  instincts  of  the  indigenous  inhabitants 
have  become  adapted  to  the  stranger's  craft  or  power. 


402  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TAHITI  AND  NEW  ZEALAND. 

Pass  through  the  Low  Archipelago — Tahiti — Aspect — Vegetation  on  the 
Mountains — View  of  Eimeo —  Excursion  into  the  Interior —  Profound 
Ravines— Succession  of  Waterfalls — Number  of  wild  useful  Plants — 
Temperance  of  the  Inhabitants — Their  moral  state — Parliament  convened 
— New  Zealand — Bay  of  Islands — Hippahs — Excursion  to  Waimate — 
Missionary  Establishment — English  Weeds  now  run  wild — Waiomio— 
Funeral  of  a  New  Zealand  Woman — Sail  for  Australia. 

October  20th. — THE  survey  of  the  Galapagos  Archipelago  being 
concluded,  we  steered  towards  Tahiti  and  commenced  our  long 
passage  of  3200  miles.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  we  sailed  out 
of  the  gloomy  and  clouded  ocean -district  which  extends  during 
the  winter  far  from  the  coast  of  South  America.  We  then  en- 
joyed bright  and  clear  weather,  while  running  pleasantly  along 
at  the  rate  of  150  or  160  miles  a  day  before  the  steady  trade- 
wind.  The  temperature  in  this  more  central  part  of  the  Pacific 
is  higher  than  near  the  American  shore.  The  thermometer  in 
the  poop  cabin,  by  night  and  day,  ranged  between  80°  and  83°, 
which  feels  very  pleasant ;  but  with  one  degree  or  two  higher, 
the  heat  becomes  oooressive.  We  passed  through  the  Low  or 
Dangerous  Archipelago,  and  saw  several  of  those  most  curious 
rings  of  coral  land,  just  rising  above  the  water's  edge,  which  have 
been  called  Lagoon  Islands.  A  long  and  brilliantly-white  beach 
is  capped  by  a  margin  of  green  vegetation  ;  and  the  strip,  look- 
ing either  way,  rapidly  narrows  away  in  the  distance,  and  sinks 
beneath  the  horizon.  From  the  mast-head  a  wide  expanse  of 
smooth  water  can  be  seen  within  the  ring.  These  low  hollow 
coral  islands  bear  no  proportion  to  the  vast  ocean  out  of  which 
they  abruptly  rise ;  and  it  seems  wonderful,  that  such  weak  in- 
vaders are  not  overwhelmed,  by  the  all-powerful  and  never-tiring 
waves  of  that  great  sea,  miscalled  the  Pacific. 

November  15th. — At  daylight,  Tahiti,  an  island  which  must 


1835.]  PRODUCTIONS   OF  THE  SOIL.  403 

for  ever  remain  classical  to  the  voyager  in  the  South  Sea,  was 
in  view.  At  a  distance  the  appearance  was  not  attractive.  The 
luxuriant  vegetation  of  the  lower  part  could  not  yet  be  seen,  and 
as  the  clouds  rolled  past,  the  wildest  and  most  precipitous  peaks 
showed  themselves  towards  the  centre  of  the  island.  As  soon  as 
we  anchored  in  Matavai  Bay,  we  were  surrounded  by  canoes. 
This  was  our  Sunday,  but  the  Monday  of  Tahiti :  if  the  case  had 
been  reversed,  we  should  not  have  received  a  single  visit ;  for 
the  injunction  not  to  launch  a  canoe  on  the  sabbath  is  rigidly 
obeyed.  After  dinner  we  landed  to  enjoy  all  the  delights  pro- 
duced by  the  first  impressions  of  a  new  country,  and  that  country 
the  charming  Tahiti.  A  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
was  collected  on  the  memorable  Point  Venus,  ready  to  receive 
us  with  laughing,  merry  faces.  They  marshalled  us  towards  the 
house  of  Mr.  Wilson,  the  missionary  of  the  district,  who  met  us 
on  the  road,  and  gave  us  a  very  friendly  reception.  After  sitting 
a  short  time  in  his  house,  we  separated  to  walk  about,  but  re- 
turned there  in  the  evening. 

The  land  capable  of  cultivation,  is  scarcely  in  any  part  more 
than  a  fringe  of  low  alluvial  soil,  accumulated  round  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  and  protected  from  the  waves  of  the  sea  by  a  coral  reef, 
which  encircles  the  entire  line  of  coast.  Within  the  reef  there  is  an 
expanse  of  smooth  water,  like  that  of  a  lake,  where  the  canoes  of 
the  natives  can  ply  with  safety  and  where  ships  anchor.  The  low 
land  which  comes  down  to  the  beach  of  coral-sand,  is  covered  by 
the  most  beautiful  productions  of  the  intertropical  regions.  In  the 
midst  of  bananas,  orange,  cocoa-nut,  and  bread-fruit  trees,  spots 
are  cleared  where  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  the  sugar-cane,  and  pine- 
apples, are  cultivated.  Even  the  brushwood  is  an  imported  fruit- 
tree,  namely,  the  guava,  which  from  its  abundance  has  become 
as  noxious  as  a  weed.  In  Brazil  I  have  often  admired  the  varied 
beauty  of  the  bananas,  palms,  and  orange-trees  contrasted  toge- 
ther ;  and  here  we  also  have  the  bread-fruit,  conspicuous  from 
its  large,  glossy,  and  deeply  digitated  leaf.  It  is  admirable  to 
behold  groves  of  a  tree,  sending  forth  its  branches  with  the  vigour 
of  an  English  oak,  loaded  with  large  and  most  nutritious  fruit. 
However  seldom  the  usefulness  of  an  object  can  account  for  the 
pleasure  of  beholding  it,  in  the  case  of  these  beautiful  woods,  the 
knowledge  of  their  high  productiveness  no  doubt  enters  largely 


404  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

into  the  feeling  of  admiration.  The  little  winding  paths,  cool 
from  the  surrounding  shade,  led  to  the  scattered  houses ;  the 
owners  of  which  every  where  gave  us  a  cheerful  and  most  hos- 
pitable reception. 

I  was  pleased  with  nothing  so  much  as  with  the  inhabitants. 
There  is  a  mildness  in  the  expression  of  their  countenances 
which  at  once  banishes  the  idea  of  a  savage ;  and  an  intelligence 
which  shows  that  they  are  advancing  in  civilization.  The  com- 
mon people,  when  working,  keep  the  upper  part  of  their  bodies 
quite  naked  ;  and  it  is  then  that  the  Tahitians  are  seen  to  advan- 
tage. They  are  very  tall,  broad-shouldered,  athletic,  and  well- 
proportioned.  It  has  been  remarked,  that  it  requires  little  habit 
to  make  a  dark  skin  more  pleasing  and  natural  to  the  eye  of  an 
European  than  his  own  colour.  A  white  man  bathing  by  the 
side  of  aTahitian,  was  like  a  plant  bleached  by  the  gardener's  art 
compared  with  a  fine  dark  green  one  growing  vigorously  in  the 
open  fields.  Most  of  the  men  are  tattooed,  and  the  ornaments 
follow  the  curvature  of  the  body  so  gracefully,  that  they  have  a 
very  elegant  effect.  One  common  pattern,  varying  in  its  details, 
is  somewhat  like  the  crown  of  a  palm-tree.  It  springs  from  the 
central  line  of  the  back,  and  gracefully  curls  round  both  sides. 
The  simile  may  be  a  fanciful  one,  but  I  thought  the  body  of  a 
man  thus  ornamented  was  like  the  trunk  of  a  noble  tree  embraced 
by  a  delicate  creeper. 

Many  of  the  elder  people  had  their  feet  covered  with  small 
figures,  so  placed  as  to  resemble  a  sock.  This  fashion,  however, 
is  partly  gone  by,  and  has  been  succeeded  by  others.  Here,  al- 
though fashion  is  far  from  immutable,  every  one  must  abide  by 
that  prevailing  in  his  youth.  An  old  man  has  thus  his  age  for 
ever  stamped  on  his  body,  and  he  cannot  assume  the  airs  of  a 
young  dandy.  The  women  are  tattooed  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  men,  and  very  commonly  on  their  fingers.  One  unbecoming 
fashion  is  now  almost  universal :  namely,  shaving  the  hair  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  head,  in  a  circular  form,  so  as  to  leave 
only  an  outer  ring.  The  missionaries  have  tried  to  persuade  the 
people  to  change  this  habit ;  but  it  is  the  fashion,  and  that  is  a 
sufficient  answer  at  Tahiti,  as  well  as  at  Paris.  I  was  much  dis- 
appointed in  the  personal  appearance  of  the  women  :  they  are  far 
inferior  in  every  respect  to  the  men.  The  custom  of  wearing  a 


1836.]  WEALTH   OF   THE   CHIEFS.  405 

white  or  scarlet  flower  in  the  back  of  the  head,  or  through  a 
small  hole  in  each  ear,  is  pretty.  A  crown  of  woven  cocoa-nut 
leaves  is  also  worn  as  a  shade  for  the  eyes.  The  women  appear 
to  be  in  greater  want  of  some  becoming  costume  even  than  the 
men. 

Nearly  all  the  natives  understand  a  little  English — that  is, 
they  know  the  names  of  common  things  ;  and  by  the  aid  of  this, 
together  with  signs,  a  lame  sort  of  conversation  could  be  carried 
on.  In  returning  in  the  evening  to  the  boat,  we  stopped  to  wit- 
ness a  very  pretty  scene.  Numbers  of  children  were  playing  on 
the  beach,  and  had  lighted  bonfires  which  illumined  the  placid 
sea  and  surrounding  trees ;  others,  in  circles,  were  singing 
Tahitian  verses.  We  seated  ourselves  on  the  sand,  and  joined 
their  party.  The  songs  were  impromptu,  and  I  believe  related 
to  our  arrival :  one  little  girl  sang  a  line,  which  the  rest  took  up 
in  parts,  forming  a  very  pretty  chorus.  The  whole  scene  made 
us  unequivocally  aware  that  we  were  seated  on  the  shores  of  an 
island  in  the  far-famed  South  Sea. 

\lth. — This  day  is  reckoned  in  the  log-book  as  Tuesday  the 
17th,  instead  of  Monday  the  16th,  owing  to  our,  so  far,  success- 
ful chase  of  the  sun.  Before  breakfast  the  ship  was  hemmed  in 
by  a  flotilla  of  canoes ;  and  when  the  natives  were  allowed  to 
come  on  board,  I  suppose  there  could  not  have  been  less  than  two 
hundred.  It  was  the  opinion  of  every  one  that  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  have  picked  out  an  equal  number  from  any  other 
nation,  who  would  have  given  so  little  trouble.  Everybody 
brought  something  for  sale :  shells  were  the  main  article  of 
trade.  The  Tahitians  now  fully  understand  the  value  of  money, 
and  prefer  it  to  old  clothes  or  other  articles.  The  various  coins, 
however,  of  English  and  Spanish  denomination  puzzle  them,  and 
they  never  seemed  to  think  the  small  silver  quite  secure  until 
changed  into  dollars.  Some  of  the  chiefs  have  accumulated 
considerable  sums  of  money.  One  chief,  not  long  since,  offered 
800  dollars  (about  160/.  sterling)  for  a  small  vessel ;  and  fre- 
quently they  purchase  whale-boats  and  horses  at  the  rate  of  from 
50  to  100  dollars. 

After  breakfast  I  went  on  shore,  and  ascended  the  nearest 
slope  to  a  height  of  between  two  and  three  thousand  feet.  The 
outer  mountains  are  smooth  and  conical,  but  steep ;  and  the  old 


406  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

volcanic  rocks,  of  which  they  are  formed,  have  been  cut  through 
by  many  profound  ravines,  diverging  from  the  central  broken 
parts  of  the  island  to  the  coast.  Having  crossed  the  narrow  low 
girt  of  inhabited  and  fertile  land,  I  followed  a  smooth  steep  ridge 
between  two  of  the  deep  ravines.  The  vegetation  was  singular, 
consisting  almost  exclusively  of  small  dwarf  ferns,  mingled, 
higher  up,  with  coarse  grass ;  it  was  not  very  dissimilar  from 
that  on  some  of  the  Welsh  hills,  and  this  so  close  above  the 
orchard  of  tropical  plants  on  the  coast  was  very  surprising.  At 
the  highest  point,  which  I  reached,  trees  again  appeared.  Of 
the  three  zones  of  comparative  luxuriance,  the  lower  one  owes 
its  moisture,  and  therefore  fertility,  to  its  flatness ;  for,  being 
scarcely  raised  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  water  from  the 
higher  land  drains  away  slowly.  The  intermediate  zone  does 
not,  like  the  upper  one,  reach  into  a  damp  and  cloudy  atmos- 
phere, and  therefore  remains  sterile.  The  woods  in  the  upper 
zone  are  very  pretty,  tree-ferns  replacing  the  cocoa-nuts  on  the 
coast.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  these  woods  at 
all  equal  in  splendour  the  forests  of  Brazil.  The  vast  number  ot 
productions,  which  characterize  a  continent,  cannot  be  expected 
to  occur  in  an  island. 

From  the  highest  point  which  I  attained,  there  was  a  good 
view  of  the  distant  island  of  Eimeo,  dependent  on  the  same  sove- 
reign with  Tahiti.  On  the  lofty  and  broken  pinnacles,  white 
massive  clouds  were  piled  up,  which  formed  an  island  in  the 
blue  sky,  as  Eimeo  itself  did  in  the  blue  ocean.  The  island, 
with  the  exception  of  one  small  gateway,  is  completely  encircled 
by  a  reef.  At  this  distance,  a  narrow  but  well-defined  brilliantly 
white  line  was  alone  visible,  where  the  waves  first  encountered 
the  wall  of  coral.  The  mountains  rose  abruptly  out  of  the  glassy 
expanse  of  the  lagoon,  included  within  this  narrow  white  line, 
outside  which  the  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean  were  dark- 
coloured.  The  view  was  striking:  it  may  aptly  be  compared  to 
a  framed  engraving,  where  the  frame  represents  the  breakers, 
the  marginal  paper  the  smooth  lagoon,  and  the  drawing  the 
island  itself.  When  in  the  evening  I  descended  from  the  moun- 
tain, a  man,  whom  I  had  pleased  with  a  trifling  gift,  met  me, 
bringing  with  him  hot  roasted  bananas,  a  pine-apple,  and  cocoa- 
nuts.  After  walking  under  a  burning  sun,  I  do  not  know  any- 


1835.]  EXCURSION  IN  THE   MOUNTAINS.     '  4QY 

thing  more  delicious  than  the  milk  of  a  young  cocoa-nut.  Pine- 
apples are  here  so  abundant  that  the  people  eat  them  in  the  same 
wasteful  manner  as  we  might  turnips.  They  are  of  an  excellent 
flavour— perhaps  even  better  than  those  cultivated  in  England  ; 
and  this  I  believe  is  the  highest  compliment  which  can  be  paid 
to  any  fruit.  Before  going  on  board,  Mr.  Wilson  interpreted 
for  me  to  the  Tahitian  who  had  paid  me  so  adroit  an  attention, 
that  I  wanted  him  and  another  man  to  accompany  me  on  a  short 
excursion  into  the  mountains. 

18th. — In  the  morning  I  came  on  shore  early,  bringing  with 
me  some  provisions  in  a  bag,  and  two  blankets  for  myself  amt 
servant.  These  were  lashed  to  each  end  of  a  long  pole,  which 
was  alternately  carried  by  my  Tahitian  companions  on  their 
shoulders.  These  men  are  accustomed  thus  to  carry,  for  a  whole 
day,  as  much  as  fifty  pounds  at  each  end  of  their  poles.  I  told 
my  guides  to  provide  themselves  with  food  and  clothing ;  but 
they  said  that  there  was  plenty  of  food  in  the  mountains, 
and  for  clothing,  that  their  skins  were  sufficient.  Our  lir.e 
of  march  was  the  valley  of  Tia-auru,  down  which  a  river  flows 
into  the  sea  by  Point  Venus.  This  is  one  of  the  principal 
streams  in  the  island,  and  its  source  lies  at  the  base  of  the  loftiest 
central  pinnacles,  which  rise  to  a  height  of  about  7000  feet.  The 
whole  island  is  so  mountainous  that  the  only  way  to  penetrate 
into  the  interior  is  to  follow  up  the  valleys.  Our  road,  at  first, 
lay  through  woods  which  bordered  each  side  of  the  river ;  and 
the  glimpses  of  the  lofty  central  peaks,  seen  as  through  an  avenue, 
with  here  and  there  a  waving  cocoa-nut  tree  on  one  side,  were 
extremely  picturesque.  The  valley  soon  began  to  narrow,  and 
the  sides  to  grow  lofty  and  more  precipitous.  After  having 
walked  between  three  and  four  hours,  we  found  the  width  of  the 
ravine  scarcely  exceeded  that  of  the  bed  of  the  stream.  On  each 
hand  the  walls  were  nearly  vertical ;  yet  from  the  soft  nature  of 
the  volcanic  strata,  trees  and  a  rank  vegetation  sprung  from 
every  projecting  ledge.  These  precipices  must  have  been  some 
thousand  feet  high ;  and  the  whole  formed  a  mountain  gorge  far 
more  magnificent  than  anything  which  I  had  ever  before  beheld. 
Until  the  mid-day  sun  stood  vertically  over  the  ravine,  the  air 
felt  cool  and  damp,  but  now  it  became  very  sultry.  Shaded  by 
it  ledge  of  rock,  beneath  a  facade  of  columnar  lava,  we  ate  oui 


TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 


dinner.  My  guides  had  already  procured  a  dish  of  small  fish 
and  fresh-water  prawns.  They  carried  with  them  a  small  net 
stretched  on  a  hoop  ;  and  where  the  water  was  deep  and  in  eddies, 
they  dived,  and  like  otters,  with  their  eyes  open  followed  the  fish 
into  holes  and  corners,  and  thus  caught  them. 

The  Tahitians  have  the  dexterity  of  amphibious  animals  in  the 
water.  An  anecdote  mentioned  by  Ellis  shows  how  much  they 
feel  at  home  in  this  element.  When  a  horse  was  landing  for 
Pomarre  in  1817,  the  slings  broke,  and  it  fell  into  the  water: 
immediately  the  natives  jumped  overboard,  and  by  their  cries 
and  vair.  efforts  at  assistance  almost  drowned  it.  As  soon,  how- 
ever, as  it  reached  the  shore,  the  whole  population  took  to  flight, 
and  tried  to  hide  themselves  from  the  man-carrying  pig,  as  they 
christened  the  horse. 

A  little  higher  up,  the  river  divided  itself  into  three  little 
streams.  The  two  northern  ones  were  impracticable,  owing  to  a 
succession  of  waterfalls  which  descended  from  the  jagged  summit 
of  the  highest  mountain  ;  the  other  to  all  appearance  was  equally 
inaccessible,  but  we  managed  to  ascend  it  by  a  most  extraordinary 
road.  The  sides  of  the  valley  were  here  nearly  precipitous ;  but, 
as  frequently  happens  with  stratified  rocks,  small  ledges  pro- 
jected, which  were  thickly  covered  by  wild  bananas,  liliaceous 
plants,  and  other  luxuriant  productions  of  the  tropics.  The 
Tahitians,  by  climbing  amongst  these  ledges,  searching  for  fruit, 
had  discovered  a  track  by  which  the  whole  precipice  could  be 
scaled.  The  first  ascent  from  the  valley  was  very  dangerous ; 
for  it  was  necessary  to  pass  a  steeply-inclined  face  of  naked  rock, 
by  the  aid  of  ropes  which  we  brought  with  us.  How  any  person 
discovered  that  this  formidable  spot  was  the  only  point  where 
the  side  of  the  mountain  was  practicable,  I  cannot  imagine. 
We  then  cautiously  walked  along  one  of  the  ledges  till  we  came 
to  one  of  the  three  streams.  This  ledge  formed  a  flat  spot, 
above  which  a  beautiful  cascade,  some  hundred  feet  in  height, 
poured  down  its  waters,  and  beneath,  another  high  cascade  fell 
into  the  main  stream  in  the  valley  below.  From  this  cool  ami 
shady  recess  we  made  a  circuit  to  avoid  the  overhanging  waterfall. 
As  before,  we  followed  little  projecting  ledges,  the  danger  being 
partly  concealed  by  the  thickness  of  the  vegetation.  In  passing 
from  one  of  the  ledges  to  another,  there  was  a  vertical  wall  ol 


1835.]  MODE   OF   PRODUCING   FIRE.  409 

rock.  One  of  the  Tahitians,  a  fine  active  man,  placed  the  trunk 
of  a  tree  against  this,  climbed  up  it,  and  then  by  the  aid  of 
crevices  reached  the  summit.  He  fixed  the  ropes  to  a  projecting 
point,  and  lowered  them  for  our  dog  and  luggage,  and  then 
we  clambered  up  ourselves.  Beneath  the  ledge  on  which 
the  dead  tree  was  placed,  the  precipice  must  have  been  five 
or  six  hundred  feet  deep  ;  and  if  the  abyss  had  not  been  partly 
concealed  by  the  overhanging  ferns  and  lilies,  my  head  would 
have  turned  giddy,  and  nothing  should  have  induced  me  to  have 
attempted  it.  We  continued  to  ascend,  sometimes  along  ledges, 
and  sometimes  along  knife-edged  ridges,  having  on  each  hand 
profound  ravines.  In  the  Cordillera  1  have  seen  mountains  on 
a  far  grander  scale,  but  for  abruptness,  nothing  at  all  comparable 
with  this.  In  the  evening  we  reached  a  flat  little  spot  on  the 
banks  of  the  same  stream,  which  we  had  continued  to  follow, 
and  which  descends  in  a  chain  of  waterfalls :  here  we  bivouacked 
for  the  night.  On  each  side  of  the  ravine  there  were  great  beds 
of  the  mountain-banana,  covered  with  ripe  fruit.  Many  of  these 
plants  were  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  from  three 
to  four  in  circumference.  By  the  aid  of  strips  of  bark  for  rope, 
the  stems  of  bamboos  for  rafters,  and  the  large  leaf  of  the  banana 
for  a  thatch,  the  Tahitians  in  a  few  minutes  built  us  an  excellent 
house  ;  and  with  withered  leaves  made  a  soft  bed. 

They  then  proceeded  to  make  a  fire,  and  cook  our  evening 
meal.  A  light  was  procured,  by  rubbing  a  blunt-pointed  stick 
in  a  groove  made  in  another,  as  if  with  intention  of  deepening 
it,  until  by  the  friction  the  dust  became  ignited.  A  peculiarly 
white  and  very  light  wood  (the  Hibiscus  tiliaceus)  is  alone  used 
for  this  purpose:  it  is  the  same  which  serves  for  poles  to  carry 
any  burden,  and  for  the  floating  outriggers  to  their  canoes.  The 
fire  was  produced  in  a  few  seconds :  but  to  a  person  who  does 
not  understand  the  art,  it  requires,  as  I  found,  the  greatest  exer- 
tion ;  but  at  last,  to  my  great  pride,  I  succeeded  in  igniting  the 
dust.  The  Gaucho  in  the  Pampas  uses  a  different  method  : 
taking  an  elastic  stick  about  eighteen  inches  long,  he  presses  one 
end  on  his  breast,  and  the  other  pointed  end  into  a  hole  in  a  piece 
of  wood,  and  then,  rapidly  turns  the  curved  part,  like  a  car- 
penter's centre-bit.  The  Tahitians  having  made  a  small  fire  of 
sticks,  placed  a  score  of  stones,  of  about  the  size  of  cricket -balls, 


410  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvni. 

on  the  burning  wood.  In  about  ten  minutes  the  sticks  were 
consumed,  and  the  stones  hot.  They  had  previously  folded  up 
in  small  parcels  of  leaves,  pieces  of  beef,  fish,  ripe  and  unripe 
bananas,  and  the  tops  of  the  wild  arum.  These  green  parcels 
were  laid  in  a  layer  between  two  layers  of  the  hot  stones,  and 
the  whole  then  covered  up  with  earth,  so  that  no  smoke  or  steam 
could  escape.  Jn  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  whole  was 
most  deliciously  cooked.  The  choice  green  parcels  were  now 
laid  on  a  cloth  of  banana  leaves,  and  with  a  cocoa-nut  shell  we 
drank  the  cool  water  of  the  running  stream  ;  and  thus  we  enjoyed 
our  rustic  meal. 

I  could  not  look  on  the  surrounding  plants  without  admira- 
tion. On  every  side  were  forests  of  banana;  the  fruit  of  which, 
though  serving  for  food  in  various  ways,  lay  in  heaps  decaying 
on  the  ground.  In  front  of  us  there  was  an  extensive  brake  of 
wild  sugar-cane ;  and  the  stream  was  shaded  by  the  dark  green 
knotted  stem  of  the  Ava, — so  famous  in  former  days  for  its 
powerful  intoxicating  effects.  I  chewed  a  piece,  and  found  that 
it  had  an  acrid  and  unpleasant  taste,  which  would  have  induced 
any  one  at  once  to  have  pronounced  it  poisonous.  Thanks  to 
the  missionaries,  this  plant  now  thrives  only  in  these  deep  ra- 
vines, innocuous  to  every  one.  Close  by  I  saw  the  wild  arum, 
the  roots  of  which,  when  well  baked,  are  good,  to  eat,  and  the 
young  leaves  better  than  spinach.  There  was  the  wild  yam,  and 
a  liliaceous  plant  called  Ti,  which  grows  in  abundance,  and  has  a 
soft  brown  root,  in  shape  and  size  like  a  huge  log  of  wood  :  this 
served  us  for  dessert,  for  it  is  as  sweet  as  treacle,  and  with  a 
pleasant  taste.  There  were,  moreover,  several  other  wild  fruits, 
and  useful  vegetables.  The  little  stream,  besides  its  cool  water, 
produced  eels  and  cray-fish.  I  did  indeed  admire  this  scene, 
when  I  compared  it  with  an  uncultivated  one  in  the  temperate 
zones.  I  felt  the  force  of  the  remark,  that  man,  at  least  savage 
man,  with  his  reasoning  powers  only  partly  developed,  is  the 
child  of  the  tropics. 

As  the  evening  drew  to  a  close,  I  strolled  beneath  the  gloomy 
shade  of  the  bananas  up  the  course  of  the  stream.  My  walk  was 
soon  brought  to  a  close,  by  coming  to  a  waterfall  between  two 
and  three  hundred  feet  high  ;  and  again  above  this  there  was 
another.  I  mention  all  these  waterfalls  in  this  one  brook,  to 


1835.]  TEMPERANCE   OF   THE   NATIVES.  411 

give  a  general  idea  of  the  inclination  of  the  land.  In  the  little 
recess  where  the  water  fell,  it  did  not  appear  that  a  breath  of 
wind  had  ever  blown.  The  thin  edges  of  the  great  leaves  of  the 
banana,  damp  with  spray,  were  unbroken,  instead  of  being,  as  is 
so  generally  the  case,  split  into  a  thousand  shreds.  From  OUT 
position,  almost  suspended  on  the  mountain-side,  there  were 
glimpses  into  the  depths  of  the  neighbouring  valleys ;  and  the 
lofty  points  of  the  central  mountains,  towering  up  within  sixty 
degrees  of  the  zenith,  hid  half  the  evening  sky.  Thus  seated, 
it  was  a  sublime  spectacle  to  watch  the  shades  of  night  gradually 
obscuring  the  last  and  highest  pinnacles. 

Before  we  laid  ourselves  down  to  sleep,  the  elder  Tahitian 
fell  on  his  knees,  and  with  closed  eyes  repeated  a  long  prayer  in 
his  native  tongue.  He  prayed  as  a  Christian  should  do,  with 
fitting  reverence,  and  without  the  fear  of  ridicule  or  any  osten- 
tation of  piety.  At  our  meals  neither  of  the  men  would  taste 
food,  without  saying  beforehand  a  short  grace.  Those  travellers 
who  think  that  a  Tahitian  prays  only  when  the  eyes  of  the  mis- 
sionary are  fixed  on  him,  should  have  slept  with  us  that  night  on 
the  mountain-side.  Before  morning  it  rained  very  heavily  ;  but 
the  good  thatch  of  banana- leaves  kept  us  dry. 

November  19//t. — At  daylight  my  friends,  after  their  morning 
prayer,  prepared  an  excellent  breakfast  in  the  same  manner 
as  in  the  evening.  They  themselves  certainly  partook  of  it 
largely  ;  indeed  I  never  saw  any  men  eat  near  so  much.  I  sup- 
pose such  enormously  capacious  stomachs  must  be  the  effect  of  a 
large  part  of  their  diet  consisting  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  which 
contain,  in  a  given  bulk,  a  comparatively  small  portion  of  nutri- 
ment. Unwittingly,  I  was  the  means  of  my  companions  break- 
ing, as  I  afterwards  learned,  one  of  their  own  laws  and  resolu- 
tions :  I  took  with  me  a  flask  of  spirits,  which  they  could  not 
refuse  to  partake  of;  but  as  often  as  they  drank  a  little,  they  put 
their  fingers  before  their  mouths,  and  uttered  the  word  "  Mis- 
sionary." About  two  years  ago,  although  thd  use  of  the  ava 
was  prevented,  drunkenness  from  the  introduction  of  spirits  be- 
came very  prevalent.  The  missionaries  prevailed  on  a  few  good 
men,  who  saw  that  their  country  was  rapidly  going  to  ruin,  to 
join  with  them  in  a  Temperance  Society.  From  good  sense  or 
shame,  all  the  chiefs  and  the  queen  were  at  last  persuaded  to 


412  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

join.  Immediately  a  law  was  passed,  that  no  spirits  should  be 
allowed  to  be  introduced  into  the  island,  and  that  he  who  sold 
and  he  who  bought  the  forbidden  article  should  be  punished  by 
a  fine.  With  remarkable  justice,  a  certain  period  was  allowed 
for  stock  in  hand  to  be  sold,  before  the  law  came  into  effect. 
But  when  it  did,  a  general  search  was  made,  in  which  even  the 
houses  of  the  missionaries  were  not  exempted,  and  all  the  ava 
(as  the  natives  call  all  ardent  spirits)  was  poured  on  the  ground. 
When  one  reflects  on  the  effect  of  intemperance  on  the  aborigines 
of  the  two  Americas,  I  think  it  will  be  acknowledged  that  every 
well-wisher  of  Tahiti  owes  no  common  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
missionaries.  As  long  as  the  little  island  of  St.  Helena  remained 
under  the  government  of  the  East  India  Company,  spirits,  owing 
to  the  great  injury  they  had  produced,  were  not  allowed  to  be 
imported ;  but  wine  was  supplied  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
It  is  rather  a  striking,  and  not  very  gratifying  fact,  that  in  the 
same  year  that  spirits  were  allowed  to  be  sold  in  St.  Helena, 
their  use  was  banished  from  Tahiti  by  the  free  will  of  the 
people. 

After  breakfast  we  proceeded  on  our  journey.  As  my  object 
was  merely  to  see  a  little  of  the  interior  scenery,  we  returned 
by  another  track,  which  descended  into  the  main  valley  lower 
down.  For  some  distance  we  wound,  by  a  most  intricate  path, 
along  the  side  of  the  mountain  which  formed  the  valley.  In  the 
Jess  precipitous  parts  we  passed  through  extensive  groves  of  the 
wild  banana.  The  Tahitians,  with  their  naked,  tattooed  bodies, 
their  heads  ornamented  with  flowers,  and  seen  in  the  dark  shade 
of  these  groves,  would  have  formed  a  fine  picture  of  man  inhabit- 
ing some  primeval  land.  In  our  descent  we  followed  the  lin^ 
of  ridges ;  these  were  exceedingly  narrow,  and  for  considerable 
lengths  steep  as  a  ladder ;  but  all  clothed  with  vegetation.  The 
extreme  care  necessary  in  poising  each  step  rendered  the  walk 
fatiguing.  I  did  not  cease  to  wonder  at  these  ravines  and  pre- 
cipices :  when  viewing  the  country  from  one  of  the  knife-edged 
ridges,  the  point  of  support  was  so  small,  that  the  effect  was 
nearly  the  same  as  it  must  be  from  a  balloon.  In  this  descent 
we  had  occasion  to  use  the  ropes  only  once,  at  the  point  where 
we  entered  the  main  valley.  We  slept  under  the  same  ledge  of 
rock  where  we  had  dined  the  day  before :  the  night  was  fine, 


1835.]  CONDITION   OF   THE   PEOPLE.  413 

but  from  the  depth  and  narrowness  of  the  gorge,  profoundly 
dark. 

Before  actually  seeing  this  country,  I  found  it  difficult  to  un- 
derstand two  facts  mentioned  by  Ellis ;  namely,  that  after  the 
murderous  battles  of  former  times,  the  survivors  on  the  con- 
quered side  retired  into  the  mountains,  where  a  handful  of  men 
could  resist  a  multitude.  Certainly  half-a-dozen  men,  at  the 
spot  where  the  Tahitian  reared  the  old  tree,  could  easily  have 
repulsed  thousands.  Secondly,  that  after  the  introduction  of 
Christianity,  there  were  wild  men  who  lived  in  the  mountains, 
and  whose  retreats  were  unknown  to  the  more  civilized  inha- 
bitants. 

November  20th.  —  In  the  morning  we  started  early,  and 
reached  Matavai  at  noon.  On  the  road  we  met  a  large  party  of 
noble  athletic  men,  going  for  wild  bananas.  I  found  that  the 
ship,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  in  watering,  had  moved  to  the 
harbour  of  Papavva,  to  which  place  I  immediately  walked.  This 
is  a  very  pretty  spot.  The  cove  is  surrounded  by  reef's,  and  the 
water  as  smooth  as  in  a  lake.  The  cultivated  ground,  with  its 
beautiful  productions,  interspersed  with  cottages,  comes  close 
down  to  the  water's  edge. 

From  the  varying  accounts  which  I  had  read  before  reaching 
these  islands,  I  was  very  anxious  to  form,  from  my  own  observa- 
tion, a  judgment  of  their  moral  state,— although  such  judgment 
would  necessarily  be  very  imperfect.  First  impressions  at  all 
times  very  much  depend  on  one's  previously-acquired  ideas.  My 
notions  were  drawn  from  Ellis's  '  Polynesian  Researches' — an 
admirable  and  most  interesting  work,  but  naturally  looking  at 
every  thing  under  a  favourable  point  of  view  ;  from  Beechey's 
Voyage ;  and  from  that  of  Kotzebue,  which  is  strongly  adverse 
to  the  whole  missionary  system.  He  who  compares  these  three 
accounts  will,  I  think,  form  a  tolerably  accurate  conception  of 
the  present  state  of  Tahiti.  One  of  my  impressions,  which  I 
took  from  the  two  last  authorities,  was  decidedly  incorrect ;  viz., 
that  the  Tahitians  had  become  a  gloomy  race,  and  lived  in  fear 
of  the  missionaries.  Of  the  latter  feeling  I  saw  no  trace,  unless, 
indeed,  fear  and  respect  be  confounded  under  one  name.  Instead 
of  discontent  being  a  common  feeling,  it  would  be  difficult  in 
Europe  to  pick  out  of  a  crowd  half  so  many  merry  and  happy 


414  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  XTIII. 

faces.  The  prohibition  of  the  flute  and  dancing  is  inveighed 
against  as  wrong  and  foolish  ; — the  more  than  presbyterian  man- 
ner of  keeping  the  sabbath  is  looked  at  in  a  similar  light.  On 
these  points  I  will  not  pretend  to  offer  any  opinion,  in  opposition 
to  men  who  have  resided  as  many  years  as  I  was  days  on  the 
island. 

On  the  whole,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  morality  and  religion 
of  the  inhabitants  are  highly  creditable.  There  are  many  who 
attack,  even  more  acrimoniously  than  Kotzebue,  both  the  mis- 
sionaries, their  system,  and  the  effects  produced  by  it.  Such 
reasoners  never  compare  the  present  state  with  that  of  the  island 
only  twenty  years  ago ;  nor  even  with  that  of  Europe  at  this 
day ;  but  they  compare  it  with  the  high  standard  of  Gospel  per- 
fection. They  expect  the  missionaries  to  effect  that  which  the 
Apostles  themselves  failed  to  do.  In  as  much  as  the  condition 
of  the  people  falls  short  of  this  high  standard,  blame  is  attached 
to  the  missionary,  instead  of  credit  for  that  which  he  has  effected. 
They  forget,  or  will  not  remember,  that  human  sacrifices,  and 
the  power  of  an  idolatrous  priesthood — a  system  of  profligacy 
unparalleled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world — infanticide  a  conse- 
quence of  that  system — bloody  wars,  where  the  conquerors 
spared  neither  women  nor  children — that  all  these  have  been 
abolished  ;  and  that  dishonesty,  intemperance,  and  licentiousness 
have  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 
In  a  voyager  to  forget  these  things  is  base  ingratitude  ;  for 
should  he  chance  to  be  at  the  point  of  shipwreck  on  some  un- 
known coast,  he  will  most  devoutly  pray  that  the  lesson  of  the 
missionary  may  have  extended  thus  far. 

In  point  of  morality,  the  virtue  of  the  women,  it  has  been 'often 
said,  is  most  open  to  exception.  But  before  they  are  blamed  too 
severely,  it  will  be  well  distinctly  to  call  to  mind  the  scenes  de- 
scribed by  Captain  Cook  and  Mr.  Banks,  in  which  the  grand- 
mothers and  mothers  of  the  present  race  played  a  part.  Those 
who  are  most  severe,  should  consider  how  much  of  the  morality 
of  the  women  in  Europe,  is  owing  to  the  system  early  impressed 
by  mothers  on  their  daughters,  and  how  much  in  each  individual 
case  to  the  precepts  of  religion.  But  it  is  useless  to  argue  againsl 
Buch  reasoners; — I  believe  that,  disappointed  in  not  finding  the 
field  of  licentiousness  quite  so  open  as  formerly,  they  will  not 


1835.]  TAIIITIAN  PARLIAMENT.  415 

give  credit  to  a  morality  which  they  do  not  wish  to  practise,  or 
to  a  religion  which  they  undervalue,  if  not  despise. 

Sunday,  22nd. — The  harbour  of  Papiete,  wher6  the  queen 
resides,  may  be  considered  as  the  capital  of  the  island  :  it  is  also 
the  seat  of  government,  and  the  chief  resort  of  shipping.  Cap- 
tain Fitz  Roy  took  a  party  there  this  day  to  hear  divine  service, 
first  in  the  Tahitian  language,  and  afterwards  in  our  own.  Mr. 
Pritchard,  the  leading  missionary  in  the  island,  performed  the 
service.  The  chapel  consisted  of  a  large  airy  framework  of 
wood  ;  and  it  was  filled  to  excess  by  tidy,  clean  people,  of  all 
ages  and  both  sexes.  I  was  rather  disappointed  in  the  apparent 
degree  of  attention :  but  I  believe  my  expectations  were  raised 
too  high.  At  all  events  the  appearance  was  quite  equal  to  that 
in  a  country  church  in  England.  The  singing  of  the  hymns  was 
decidedly  very  pleasing ;  but  the  language  from  the  pulpit,  al- 
though fluently  delivered,  did  not  sound  well :  a  constant  repe- 
tition of  words,  like  "  tata  ta,  mata  mai"  rendered  it  monoto- 
nous. After  English  service,  a  party  returned  on  foot  to  Ma- 
tavai.  It  was  a  pleasant  walk,  sometimes  along  the  sea-beach 
and  sometimes  under  the  shade  of  the  many  beautiful  trees. 

About  two  years  ago,  a  small  vessel  under  PLnglish  colours 
was  plundered  by  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Low  Islands, 
which  were  then  under  the  dominion  of  the  Queen  of  Tahiti.  It 
was  believed  that  the  perpetrators  were  instigated  to  this  act  by 
some  indiscreet  laws  issued  by  her  majesty.  The  British  govern- 
ment demanded  compensation  ;  which  was  acceded  to,  and  a  sum 
of  nearly  three  thousand  dollars  was  agreed  to  be  paid  on  the 
first  of  last  September.  The  Commodore  at  Lima  ordered  Cap- 
tain Fitz  Roy  to  inquire  concerning  this  debt,  and  to  demand 
satisfaction  if  it  were  not  paid.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  accordingly 
requested  an  interview  with  the  Queen  Pomarre,  since  famous 
from  the  ill-treatment  she  has  received  from  the  French  ;  and  a 
parliament  was  held  to  consider  the  question,  at  which  all  the 
principal  chiefs  of  the  island,  and  the  queen,  were  assembled.  I 
will  not  attempt  to  describe  what  took  place,  after  the  interesting 
account  given  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy.  The  money,  it  appeared, 
had  not  been  paid  ;  perhaps  the  alleged  reasons  were  rather  equi- 
vocal ;  but  otherwise  1  cannot  sufficiently  express  our  general 
surprise  at  the  extreme  good  sense,  the  reasoning  powers,  mode- 


416  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

ration,  candour,  and  prompt  resolution,  which  were  displayed  on 
all  sides.  I  believe  we  all  left  the  meeting  with  a  very  different 
opinion  of  the  Tahitians,  from  what  we  entertained  when  we 
entered.  The  chiefs  and  people  resolved  to  subscribe  and  com- 
plete the  sum  which  was  wanting ;  Captain  Fitz  Roy  urged  that 
it  was  hard  that  their  private  property  should  be  sacrificed  for 
the  crimes  of  distant  islanders.  They  replied,  that  they  were 
grateful  for  his  consideration,  but  that  Ponmrre  was  their  Queen, 
and  that  they  were  determined  to  help  her  in  this  her  difficulty. 
This  resolution  and  its  prompt  execution,  for  a  book  was  opened 
early  the  next  morning,  made  a  perfect  conclusion  to  this  very 
remarkable  scene  of  loyalty  and  good  feeling. 

After  the  main  discussion  was  ended,  several  of  the  chiefs  took 
the  opportunity  of  asking  Captain  Fitz  Roy  many  intelligent 
questions  on  international  customs  and  laws,  relating  to  the  treat- 
ment  of  ships  and  foreigners.  On  some  points,  as  soon  as  the 
decision  was  made,  the  law  was  issued  verbally  on  the  spot.  This 
Tahitian  parliament,  lasted  for  several  hours ;  and  when  it  was 
over  Captain  Fitz  Roy  invited  Queen  Pomarre  to  pay  the  Beagle 
a  visit. 

November  25th. — In  the  evening  four  boats  were  sent  for  her 
majesty  ;  the  ship  was  dressed  with  flags,  and  the  yards  manned 
on  her  coming  on  board.  She  was  accompanied  by  most  of  the 
chiefs.  The  behaviour  of  all  was  very  proper  :  they  begged  for 
nothing,  and  seemed  much  pleased  with  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  pre- 
sents. The  Queen  is  a  large  awkward  woman,  without  any 
beauty,  grace,  or  dignity.  She  has  only  one  royal  attribute :  a 
perfect  immoveability  of  expression  under  all  circumstances,  and 
that  rather  a  sullen  one.  The  rockets  v/ere  most  admired  ;  and 
a  deep  "  Oh  !  "  could  be  heard  from  the  shore,  all  round  the  dark 
bay,  after  each  explosion.  The  sailors'  songs  were  also  much 
admired  ;  and  the  queen  said  she  thought  that  one  of  the  most 
boisterous  ones  certainly  could  not  be  a  hymn  !  The  royal  party 
did  not  return  on  shore  till  past  midnight. 

26th. — In  the  evening,  with  a  gentle  land-breeze,  a  course 
was  steered  for  New  Zealand ;  and  as  the  sun  set,  we  had  a  fare- 
well view  of  the  mountains  of  Tahiti — the  island  to  which  every 
voyager  has  offered  up  his  tribute  of  admiration. 


1835.]  BAY   OF   ISLANDS.  417 


December  I9lh.— In  the  evening  we  saw  in  the  distance  New 
Zealand.  We  may  now  consider  that  we  have  nearly  crossed 
the  Pacific.  It  is  necessary  to  sail  over  this  great  ocean  to  com- 
prehend its  immensity.  Moving  quickly  onwards  for  weeks  to- 
gether, we  meet  with  nothing  but  the  same  blue,  profoundly  deep, 
ocean.  Even  within  the  archipelagoes,  the  islands  are  mere 
specks,  and  far  distant  one  from  the  other.  Accustomed  to  look 
at  maps  drawn  on  a  small  scale,  where  dots,  shading,  and  names 
are  crowded  together,  we  do  not  rightly  judge  how  infinitely 
small  the  proportion  of  dry  land  is  to  the  water  of  this  vast  ex- 
panse. The  meridian  of  the  Antipodes  has  likewise  been  passed; 
and  now  every  league,  it  made  us  happy  to  think,  was  one  league 
nearer  to  England.  These  Antipodes  call  to  one's  mind  old 
recollections  of  childish  doubt  and  wonder.  Only  the  other  day  I 
looked  forward  to  this  airy  barrier  as  a  definite  point  in  our  voy- 
age homewards  ;  but  now  I  find  .it,  and  all  such  resting-places 
for  the  imagination,  are  like  shadows,  which  a  man  moving  on- 
wards cannot  catch.  A  gale  of  wind  lasting  for  some  days,  has 
lately  given  us  full  leisure  to  measure  the  future  stages  in  our  long 
homeward  voyage,  and  to  wish  most  earnestly  for  its  termination. 

December  2\st. — Early  in  the  morning  we  entered  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  and  being  becalmed  for  some  hours  near  the  mouth,  we 
did  not  reach  the  anchorage  till  the  middle  of  the  day.  The 
country  is  hilly,  \vith  a  smooth  outline,  and  is  deeply  intersected 
by  numerous  arms  of  the  sea  extending  from  the  bay.  The  sur 
face  appears  from  a  distance  as  if  clothed  with  coarse  pasture, 
but  this  in  truth  is  nothing  but  fern.  On  the  more  distant  hills, 
as  well  as  in  parts  of  the  valleys,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  wood- 
land. The  general  tint  of  the  landscape  is  not  a  bright  green  ; 
and  it  resembles  the  country  a  short  distance  to  the  south  of 
Conception  in  Chile.  In  several  parts  of  the  bay,  little  villages 
of  square  tidy-looking  houses  are  scattered  close  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  Three  whaling-ships  were  lying  at  anchor,  and  a 
canoe  every  now  and  then  crossed  from  shore  to  shore  ;  with  these 
exceptions,  an  air  of  extreme  quietness  reigned  over  the  whole 
district.  Only  a  single  canoe  came  alongside.  This,  and  tlie 
aspect  of  the  whole  scene,  afforded  a  remarkable,  and  not  very 
pleasing  contrast,  with  our  joyful  and  boisterous  welcome  a4. 
Tahiti. 


418  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  XTIII. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  on  shore  to  one  of  the  larger  groups 
of  houses,  which  yet  hardly  deserves  the  title  of  a  village.  Its 
name  is  Pahia:  it  is  the  residence  of  the  missionaries;  and  there 
are  no  native  residents  except  servants  and  labourers.  In  the 
vicinity  of  the  Bay  of  Islands,  the  number  of  Englishmen,  in- 
cluding their  families,  amounts  to  between  two  and  three  hun- 
dred. All  the  cottages,  many  of  which  are  white-washed  and 
look  very  neat,  are  the  property  of  the  English.  The  hovels 
of  the  natives  are  so  diminutive  and  paltry,  that  they  can  scarcely 
be  perceived  from  a  distance.  At  Pahia,  it  was  quite  pleasing 
to  behold  the  English  flowers  in  the  gardens  before  the  houses ; 
there  were  roses  of  several  kinds,  honeysuckle,  jasmine,  stocks, 
and  whole  hedges  of  sweetbriar. 

December  22nd.— In  the  morning  I  went  out  walking ;  but  I 
soon  found  that  the  country  was  very  impracticable.  All  the 
hills  are  thickly  covered  with  tall  fern,  together  with  a  low  bush 
which  grows  like  a  cypress ;  and  very  little  ground  has  been 
cleared  or  cultivated.  I  then  tried  the  sea-beach  ;  but  proceed- 
ing towards  either  hand,  my  walk  was  soon  stopped  by  salt- 
water creeks  and  deep  brooks.  The  communication  between  the 
inhabitants  of  the  different  parts  of  the  bay,  is  (as  in  Chiloe) 
almost  entirely  kept  up  by  boats.  I  was  surprised  to  find  that 
almost  every  hill  which  I  ascended,  had  been  at  some  former  time 
more  or  less  fortified.  The  summits  were  cut  into  steps  or  suc- 
cessive terraces,  and  frequently  they  had  been  protected  by  deep 
trenches.  I  afterwards  observed  that  the  principal  hills  inland 
in  like  manner  showed  an  artificial  outline.  These  are  the  Pas. 
so  frequently  mentioned  by  Captain  Cook  under  the  name  of 
"  hippah ;"  the  difference  of  sound  being  owing  to  the  prefixed 
article. 

That  the  Pas  had  formerly  been  much  used,  was  evident  from 
the  piles  of  shells,  and  the  pits  in  which,  as  I  was  informed,  sweet 
potatoes  used  to  be  kept  as  a  reserve.  As  there  was  no  water  on 
these  hills,  the  defenders  could  never  have  anticipated  a  long 
siege,  but  only  a  hurried  attack  for  plunder,  against  which  the 
successive  terraces  would  have  afforded  good  protection.  The 
general  introduction  of  fire-arms  has  changed  the  whole  system 
of  warfare ;  and  an  exposed  situation  on  the  top  of  a  hill  is  now 
worse  than  useless.  The  Pas  in  consequence  are,  at  the  present 


1835.]  NEW   ZEALAND.  419 

day,  always  built  on  a  level  piece  of  ground.  They  consist  of  a 
double  stockade  of  thick  and  tall  posts,  placed  in  a  zigzag  line, 
so  that  every  part  can  be  flanked.  Within  the  stockade  a  mound 
of  earth  is  thrown  up,  behind  which  the  defenders  can  rest  in 
safety,  or  use  their  fire-arms  over  it.  On  the  level  of  the  ground 
little  archways  sometimes  pass  through  this  breastwork,  by  which 
means  the  defenders  can  crawl  out  to  the  stockade  to  reconnoitre 
their  enemies.  The  Rev.  W.  Williams,  who  gave  me  this  ac- 
count, added,  that  in  one  Pas  he  had  noticed  spurs  or  buttiesses 
projecting  on  the  inner  and  protected  side  of  the  mound  of  earth. 
On  asking  the  chief  the  use  of  them,  he  replied,  that  if  two  or 
three  of  his  men  were  shot,  their  neighbours  would  not  see  the 
bodies,  and  so  be  discouraged. 

These  Fas  are  considered  by  the  New  Zealanders  as  very  per- 
fect means  of  defence :  for  the  attacking  force  is  never  so  well 
disciplined  as  to  rush  in  a  body  to  the  stockade,  cut  it  down,  and 
effect  their  entry.  When  a  tribe  goes  to  war,  the  chief  cannot 
order  one  party  to  go  here  and  another  there ;  but  every  man 
tights  in  the  manner  which  best  pleases  himself;  and  to  each 
separate  individual  to  approach  a  stockade  defended  by  fire-arms 
must  appear  certain  death.  I  should  think  a  more  warlike  race 
of  inhabitants  could  not  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  world  than 
the  New  Zealanders.  Their  conduct  on  first  seeing  a  ship,  as 
described  by  Captain  Cook,  strongly  illustrates  this :  the  act  of 
throwing  volleys  of  stones  at  so  great  and  novel  an  object,  and 
their  defiance  of  "  Come  on  shore  and  we  will  kill  and  eat  you 
all,"  shows  uncommon  boldness.  This  warlike  spirit  is  evident 
in  many  of  their  customs,  and  even  in  their  smallest  actions.  If 
a  New  Zealander  is  struck,  although  but  in  joke,  the  blow  must 
be  returned ;  and  of  this  I  saw  an  instance  with  one  of  our 
officers. 

At  the  present  day,from  the  progress  of  civilization,there  is  much 
less  warfare,  except  among  some  of  the  southern  tribes.  I  heard  a 
characteristic  anecdote  of  what  took  place  some  time  ago  in  the 
south.  A  missionary  found  a  chief  and  his  tribe  in  preparation 
for  war ;— their  muskets  clean  and  bright,  and  their  ammunition 
ready.  He  reasoned  long  on  the  inutility  of  the  war,  and  the 
little  provocation  which  had  been  given  for  it.  The  chief  was  much 
shaken  in  his  resolution,  and  seemed  in  doubt :  but  at  length  it 


420  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvin. 

occurred  to  him  that  a  barrel  of  his  gunpowder  was  in  a  bad 
state,  and  that  it  would  not  keep  much  longer.  This  was  brought 
forward  as  an  unanswerable  argument  for  the  necessity  of  imme- 
diately declaring  war :  the  idea  of  allowing  so  much  good  gun- 
powder to  spoil  was  not  to  be  thought  of;  and  this  settled  the 
point.  I  was  told  by  the  missionaries  that  in  the  life  of  Shongi, 
the  chief  who  visited  England,  the  love  of  war  was  the  one  arid 
lasting  spring  of  every  action.  The  tribe  in  which  he  was  a  prin- 
cipal chief,  had  at  one  time  been  much  oppressed  by  another  tribe, 
from  the  Thames  River.  A  solemn  oath  was  taken  by  the  men, 
that  when  their  boys  should  grow  up,  and  they  should  be  power- 
ful enough,  they  would  never  forget  or  forgive  these  injuri^.. 
To  fulfil  this  oath  appears  to  have  been  Shongi's  chief  motive  for 
going  to  England  ;  and  when  there  it  was  his  sole  object.  Pre- 
sents were  valued  only  as  they  could  be  converted  into  arms ;  of 
the  arts,  those  alone  interested  him  which  were  connected  with 
the  manufacture  of  arms.  When  at  Sydney,  Shongi,  by  a  strange 
coincidence,  met  the  hostile  chief  of  the  Thames  River  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Marsden :  their  conduct  was  civil  to  each  other ; 
but  Shongi  told  him  that  when  again  in  New  Zealand  he  would 
never  cease  to  carry  war  into  his  country.  The  challenge  was 
accepted ;  and  Shongi  on  his  return  fulfilled  the  threat  to  thf 
utmost  letter.  The  tribe  on  the  Thames  River  was  utterly  over- 
thrown, and  the  chief  to  whom  the  challenge  had  been  given  was 
himself  killed.  Shongi,  although  harbouring  such  deep  feelings 
of  hatred  and  revenge,  is  described  as  having  been  agoodnatured 
person. 

In  the  evening  I  went  with  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  Mr.  Baker, 
one  of  the  missionaries,  to  pay  a  visit  to  Kororadika :  we  wan- 
dered about  the  village,  and  saw  and  conversed  with  many  of  the 
people,  both  men,  women,  and  children.  Looking  at  the  New 
Zealander,  one  naturally  compares  him  with  the  Tahitian  ;  both 
belonging  to  the  same  family  of  mankind.  The  comparison, 
however,  tells  heavily  against  the  New  Zealander.  He  may, 
perhaps,  be  superior  in  energy,  but  in  every  other  respect  his 
character  is  of  a  much  lower  order.  One  glance  at  their  respec- 
tive expressions,  brings  conviction  to  the  mind  that  one  is  a 
savage,  the  other  a  civilized  man.  It  would  be  vain  to  seek  in 
the  whole  of  New  Zealand  a  person  with  the  face  and  mien  of 


1835.]  EXCURSION   TO   WAIMATE.  421 

the  old  Tahitian  chief  Utamme.  No  doubt  the  extraordinary 
manner  in  which  tattooing  is  here  practised,  gives  a  disagreeable 
expression  to  their  countenances.  The  complicated  but  symme- 
trical figures  covering  the  whole  face,  puzzle  and  mislead  an 
unaccustomed  eye :  it  is  moreover  probable,  that  the  deep  inci- 
sions, Gy  destroying  the  play  of  the  superficial  muscles,  give  an 
air  of  rigid  inflexibility.  But,  besides  this,  there  is  a  twinkling 
in  the  eye,  which  cannot  indicate  any  thing  but  cunning  and 
ferocity.  Their  figures  are  tall  and  bulky  ;  but  not  comparable 
in  elegance  with  those  of  the  working-classes  in  Tahiti. 

Both  their  persons  and  houses  are  filthily  dirty  and  offensive : 
the  idea  of  washing  either  their  bodies  or  their  clothes  never 
seems  to  enter  their  heads.  I  saw  a  chief,  who  was  wearing  a 
shirt  black  and  matted  with  filth,  and  when  asked  how  it  came 
to  be  so  dirty,  he  replied,  with  surprise,  "  Do  not  you  see  it  is 
an  old  one?"  Some  of  the  men  have  shirts;  but  the  common 
dress  is  one  or  two  large  blankets,  generally  black  with  dirt, 
which  are  thrown  over  their  shoulders  in  a  very  inconvenient  and 
awkward  fashion.  A  few  of  the  principal  chiefs  have  decent  suits 
of  English  clothes  ;  but  these  are  only  worn  on  great  occasions. 

December  23rd. — At  a  place  called  Waimate,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  midway  between  the  eastern 
and  western  coasts,  the  missionaries  have  purchased  some  land 
for  agricultural  purposes.  I  had  been  introduced  to  the  Rev. 
W.  Williams,  who,  upon  my  expressing  a  wish,  invited  me  to 
pay  him  a  visit  there.  Mr.  Bushby,  the  British  resident,  offered 
to  take  me  in  his  boat  by  a  creek,  where  I  should  see  a  pretty 
waterfall,  and  by  which  means  my  walk  would  be  shortened.  He 
likewise  procured  for  me  a  guide.  Upon  asking  a  neighbouring 
chief  to  recommend  a  man,  the  chief  himself  offered  to  go  ;  but 
his  ignorance  of  the  value  of  money  was  so  complete,  that  at 
first  he  asked  how  many  pounds  I  would  give  him,  but  after- 
wards was  well  contented  with  two  dollars.  When  I  showed 
the  chief  a  very  small  bundle,  which  I  wanted  carried,  it  be- 
came absolutely  necessary  for  him  to  take  a  slave.  These  feel- 
ings of  pride  are  beginning  to  wear  away  ;  but  formerly  a  leading 
man  would  sooner  have  died,  than  undergone  the  indignity  of 
carrying  the  smallest  burden.  My  companion  was  a  light  active 
man,  dressed  in  a  dirty  blanket,  and  with  his  face  completely 


422  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvni. 


tattooed.  He  had  formerly  been  a  great  warrior.  He  appeared 
to  be  on  very  cordial  terms  with  Mr.  Bushby ;  but  at  various 
times  they  had  quarrelled  violently.  Mr.  Bushby  remarked  that 
a  little  quiet  irony  would  frequently  silence  any  one  of  these 
natives  in  their  most  blustering  moments.  This  chief  has  come 
and  harangued  Mr.  Bushby  in  a  hectoring  manner,  saying,  "  A 
great  chief,  a  great  man,  a  friend  of  mine,  has  come  to  pay  me 
a  visit — you  must  give  him  something  good  to  eat,  some  fine 
presents,  &c."  Mr.  Bushby  has  allowed  him  to  finish  his  dis- 
course, and  then  has  quietly  replied  by  some  such  answer  as, 
"  What  else  shall  your  slave  do  for  you  ?"  The  man  would  then 
instantly,  with  a  very  comical  expression,  cease  his  braggadocio. 

Some  time  ago,  Mr.  Bushby  suffered  a  far  more  serious  attack. 
A  chief  and  a  party  of  men  tried  to  break  into  his  house  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  and  not  finding  this  so  easy,  commenced  a 
brisk  firing  with  their  muskets.  Mr.  Bushby  was  slightly 
wounded  ;  but  the  party  was  at  length  driven  away.  Shortly 
afterwards  it  was  discovered  who  was  the  aggressor  ;  and  a  ge- 
neral meeting  of  the  chiefs  was  convened  to  consider  the  case. 
It  was  considered  by  the  New  Zealanders  as  very  atrocious,  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  a  night  attack,  and  that  Mrs.  Bushby  was  lying 
ill  in  the  house :  this  latter  circumstance,  much  to  their  honour, 
being  considered  in  all  cases  as  a  protection.  The  chiefs  agreed 
to  confiscate  the  land  of  the  aggressor  to  the  King  of  England. 
The  whole  proceeding,  however,  in  thus  trying  and  punishing  a 
chief  was  entirely  without  precedent.  The  aggressor,  moreover, 
lost  caste  in  the  estimation  of  his  equals  ;  and  this  was  considered 
by  the  British  as  of  more  consequence  than  the  confiscation  of 
his  land. 

As  the  boat  was  shoving  off,  a  second  chief  stepped  into  her, 
who  only  wanted  the  amusement  of  the  passage  up  and  down  the 
creek.  1  never  saw  a  more  horrid  and  ferocious  expression  than 
this  man  had.  It  immediately  struck  me  I  had  somewhere  seen 
his  likeness :  it  will  be  found  in  Retzch's  outlines  to  Schiller's 
ballad  of  Fridolin,  where  two  men  are  pushing  Robert  into  the 
burning  iron  furnace.  It  is  the  man  who  has  his  arm  on  Ro- 
bert's breast.  Physiognomy  here  spoke  the  truth ;  this  chief 
had  been  a  notorious  murderer,  and  was  an  arrant  coward  to 
boot.  At  the  point  where  the  boat  landed.  Mr.  Bushby  accom- 


1835.]  CEREMONY   OF   RUBBIXG   NOSES.  423 


panied  me  a  few  hundred  yards  on  the  road :  I  could  not  help 
admiring-  the  cool  impudence  of  the  hoary  old  villain,  whom  we 
left  lying  in  the  boat,  when  he  shouted  to  Mr.  Bushby,  "  Do 
not  you  stay  long,  I  shall  be  tired  of  waiting  here." 

We  now  commenced  our  walk.  The  road  lay  along  a  well- 
beaten  path,  bordered  on  each  side  by  the  tall  fern,  which  covers 
the  whole  country.  After  travelling  some  miles,  we  came  to  a 
little  country  village,  where  a  few  hovels  were  collected  toge- 
ther, and  some  patches  of  ground  cultivated  with  potatoes.  The 
introduction  of  the  potato  has  been  the  most  essential  benefit  to 
the  island  ;  it  is  now  much  more  used  than  any  native  vegetable. 
New  Zealand  is  favoured  by  one  great  natural  advantage; 
namely,  that  the  inhabitants  can  never  perish  from  famine.  The  . 
whole  country  abounds  with  fern  ;  and  the  roots  of  this  plant,  if 
not  very  palatable,  yet  contain  much  nutriment.  A  native  can 
always  subsist  on  these,  and  on  the  shell-fish,  whi«h  are  abundant 
on  all  parts  of  the  sea-coast.  The  villages  are  chiefly  conspi- 
cuous by  the  platforms  which  are  raised  on  four  posts  ten  or 
twelve  feet  above  the  ground,  and  on  which  the  produce  of  the 
fields  is  kept  secure  from  all  accidents. 

On  coming  near  one  of  the  huts  I  was  much  amused  by 
seeing  in  due  form  the  ceremony  of  rubbing,  or,  as  it  ought  to  be 
called,  pressing  noses.  The  women,  on  our  first  approach,  began 
uttering  something  in  a  most  dolorous  voice  ;  they  then  squatted 
themselves  down  and  held  up  their  faces  ;  my  companion  standing 
over  them,  one  after  another,  placed  the  bridge  of  his  nose  at  right 
angles  to  theirs,  and  commenced  pressing.  This  lasted  rather 
longer  than  a  cordial  shake  of  the  hand  with  us  ;  and  as  we  vary  the 
force  of  the  grasp  of  the  hand  in  shaking,  so  do  they  in  pressing. 
During  the  process  they  uttered  comfortable  little  grunts,  very 
much  in  the  same  manner  as  two  pigs  do,  when  rubbing  against 
each  other.  I  noticed  that  the  slave  would  press  noses  with  any 
one  he  met,  indifferently  either  before  or  after  his  master  the 
chief.  Although  among  these  savages,  the  chief  has  absolute 
power  of  life  and  death  over  his  slave,  yet  there  is  an  entire  ab- 
sence of  ceremony  between  them.  Mr.  Burchell  has  remarked 
the  same  thing  in  Southern  Africa,  with  the  rude  Bachapins. 
Where  civilization  has  arrived  at  a  certain  point,  complex  for- 
malities soon  arise  between  the  different  grades  of  society :  thus 
23 


424  NEW   ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

at  Tahiti  all  were  formerly  obliged  to  uncover  themselves  as  low 
as  the  waist  in  presence  of  the  king. 

The  ceremony  of  pressing  noses  having  been  duly  completed 
with  all  present,  we  seated  ourselves  in  a  circle  in  the  front  of 
one  of  the  hovels,  and  rested  there  half-an-hour.  All  the  hovels 
have  nearly  the  same  form  and  dimensions,  and  all  agree  in 
being  filthily  dirty.  They  resemble  a  cow-shed  with  one  end 
open,  but  having  a  partition  a  little  way  within,  with  a  square 
hole  in  it,  making  a  small  gloomy  chamber.  In  this  the  inha- 
bitants keep  all  their  property,  and  when  the  weather  is  cold 
they  sleep  there.  They  eat,  however,  and  pass  their  time  in  the 
open  part  in  front.  My  guides  having  finished  their  pipes,  we 
continued  our  walk.  The  path  led  through  the  same  undulating 
country,  the  whole  uniformly  clothed  as  before  with  fern.  On 
our  right  hand  we  had  a  serpentine  river,  the  banks  of  which  were 
fringed  with  trees,  and  here  and  there  on  the  hill  sides  there  was 
a  clump  of  wood.  The  whole  scene,  in  spite  of  its  green  colour, 
had  rather  a  desolate  aspect.  The  sight  of  so  much  fern  im- 
presses the  mind  with  an  idea  of  sterility :  this,  however,  is  not 
correct ;  for  wherever  the  fern  grows  thick  and  breast-high,  the 
laud  by  tillage  becomes  productive.  Some  of  the  residents 
think  that  all  this  extensive  open  country  originally  was  covered 
with  forests,  and  that  it  has  been  cleared  by  fire.  It  is  said,  that 
by  digging  in  the  barest  spots,  lumps  of  the  kind  of  resin  which 
flows  from  the  kauri  pine  are  frequently  found.  The  natives 
had  an  evident  motive  in  clearing  the  country  ;  for  the  fern, 
formerly  a  staple  article  of  food,  flourishes  only  in  the  open 
cleared  tracks.  The  almost  entire  absence  of  associated  grasses, 
wnich  forms  so  remarkable  a  feature  in  the  vegetation  of  this 
island,  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  by  the  land  having  been 
aboriginally  covered  with  forest-trees. 

The  soil  is  volcanic ;  in  several  parts  we  passed  over  slaggy 
lavas,  and  craters  could  clearly  be  distinguished  on  several  of 
the  neighbouring  hills.  Although  the  scenery  is  nowhere  beau- 
tiful, and  only  occasionally  pretty,  1  enjoyed  my  walk.  I  should 
have  enjoyed  it  more,  if  my  companion,  the  chief,  had  not  pos- 
sessed extraordinary  conversational  powers.  I  knew  only  three 
words  ;  "  good,"  "  bad,"  and  "  yes  :"  and  with  these  I  answered 
all  his  remarks,  without  of  course  having  understood  one  won} 


1835.]  WAIMATE.  425 

he  said.  This,  however,  was  quite  sufficient:  I  was  a  good 
listener,  an  agreeable  person,  and  he  never  ceased  talking  to  me. 

At  length  we  reached  Waimate.  After  having  passed  over 
BO  many  miles  of  an  uninhabited  useless  country,  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  an  English  farm-house,  and  its  well -dressed  fields, 
placed  there  as  if  by  an  enchanter's  wand,  was  exceedingly  plea- 
sant. Mr.  Williams  not  being  at  home,  I  received  in  Mr.  Da- 
vies's  house,  a  cordial  welcome.  After  drinking  tea  with  his 
family  party,  we  took  a  stroll  about  the  farm.  At  Waimate 
there  are  three  large  houses,  where  the  missionary  gentlemen 
Messrs.  Williams,  Davies,  and  Clarke,  reside ;  and  near  them 
are  the  huts  of  the  native  labourers.  On  an  adjoining  slope, 
fine  crops  of  barley  and  wheat  were  standing  in  full  ear ;  and  in 
another  part,  fields  of  potatoes  and  clover.  But  I  cannot  attempt 
to  describe  all  I  saw  ;  there  were  large  gardens,  with  every  fruit 
and  vegetable  which  England  produces ;  and  many  belonging  lo 
a  wanner  clime.  I  may  instance  asparagus,  kidney  beans,  cu- 
cumbers, rhubarb,  apples,  pears,  figs,  peaches,  apricots,  grapes, 
olives,  gooseberries,  currants,  hops,  gorse  for  fences,  and  Eng- 
lish oaks;  also  many  kinds  of  flowers.  Around  the  farm-yard 
there  were  stables,  a  thrashing-barn  with  its  winnowing  machine, 
a  blacksmith's  forge,  and  on  the  ground  ploughshares  and  other 
tools  :  in  the  middle  was  that  happy  mixture  of  pigs  and  poultry, 
lying  comfortably  together,  as  in  every  English  farm-yard.  At  the 
distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards,  where  the  water  of  a  little  rill 
had  been  dammed  up  into  a  pool,  there  was  a  large  and  substan- 
tial water-mill. 

All  this  is  very  surprising,  when  it  is  considered  that  five 
years  ago  nothing  but  the  fern  flourished  here.  Moreover, 
native  workmanship,  taught  by  the  missionaries,  has  effected  this 
change  ; — the  lesson  of  the  missionary  is  the  enchanter's  wand. 
The  house  had  been  built,  the  windows  framed,  the  fields 
ploughed,  and  even  the  trees  grafted,  by  the  New  Zealander. 
At  the  mill,  a  New  Zealander  was  seen  powdered  white  with 
flour,  like  his  brother  miller  in  England.  When  I  looked  at 
this  whole  scene,  I  thought  it  admirable.  It  was  not  merely 
that  England  was  brought  vividly  before  my  mind ;  yet,  as  the 
evening  drew  to  a  close,  the  domestic  sounds,  the  fields  of  corn, 
the  distant  undulating  country  with  its  trees  might  well  have 


426  NEW   ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

been  mistaken  for  our  father-land :  nor  was  it  the  triumphant 
feeling  at  seeing  what  Englishmen  could  effect ;  but  rather  the 
high  hopes  thus  inspired  for  the  future  progress  of  this  fine 
island. 

Several  young  men,  redeemed  by  the  missionaries  from  slavery , 
were  employed  on  the  farm.  They  were  dressed  in  a  shirt, 
jacket,  and  trousers,  and  had  a  respectable  appearance.  Judging 
from  one  trifling  anecdote,  I  should  think  they  must  be  honest. 
When  walking  in  the  fields,  a  young  labourer  came  up  to  Mr. 
Davies,  and  gave  him  a  knife  and  gimlet,  saying  that  he  had  found 
them  on  the  road,  and  did  not  know  to  whom  they  belonged  ! 
These  young  men  and  boys  appeared  very  merry  and  good-hu- 
moured. In  the  evening  I  saw  a  party  of  them  at  cricket :  when 
I  thought  of  the  austerity  of  which  the  missionaries  have  been 
accused,  I  was  amused  by  observing  one  of  their  own  sons  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  game.  A  more  decided  and  pleasing  change 
was  manifested  in  the  young  women,  who  acted  as  servants  within 
the  houses.  Their  clean,  tidy,  and  healthy  appearance,  like 
that  of  dairy-maids  in  England,  formed  a  wonderful  contrast 
with  the  women  of  the  filthy  hovels  in  Kororadika.  The  wives 
of  the  missionaries  tried  to  persuade  them  not  to  be  tattooed ; 
but  a  famous  operator  having  arrived  from  the  south,  they  said, 
"  We  really  must  just  have  a  few  lines  on  our  lips ;  else  when 
we  grow  old,  our  lips  will  shrivel,  and  we  shall  be  so  very  ugly." 
There  is  not  nearly  so  much  tattooing  as  formerly ;  but  as  it  is  a 
badge  of  distinction  between  the  chief  and  the  slave,  it  will  pro- 
bably long  be  practised.  So  soon  does  any  train  of  ideas  become 
habitual,  that  the  missionaries  told  me  that  even  in  their  eyes 
a  plain  face  looked  mean,  and  not  like  that  of  a  New  Zealand 
gentleman. 

Late  in  the  evening  I  went  to  Mr.  Williams's  house,  where  I 
passed  the  night.  I  found  there  a  large  party  of  children,  col- 
lected together  for  Christmas-day,  and  all  sitting  round  a  table 
at  tea.  I  never  saw  a  nicer  or  more  merry  group  ;  and  to  think 
that  this  was  in  the  centre  of  the  land  of  cannibalism,  murder, 
and  all  atrocious  crimes !  The  cordiality  and  happiness  so 
plainly  pictured  in  the  faces  of  the  little  circle,  appeared  equally 
felt  by  the  older  persons  of  the  mission. 

December  24th. — In  the  morning,  prayers  were  read  in  the 


1835.]  WAIMATE. 


427 


native  tongue  to  the  whole  family.  After  breakfast  I  rambler! 
about  the  gardens  and  farm.  This  was  a  market-day,  when  the 
natives  of  the  surrounding  hamlets  bring  their  potatoes,  Indian 
corn,  or  pigs,  to  exchange  for  blankets,  tobacco,  and  sometimes, 
through  the  persuasions  of  the  missionaries,  for  soap.  Mr.  Da- 
vies's  eldest  son,  who  manages  a  farm  of  his  own,  is  the  man  of 
business  in  the  market.  The  children  of  the  missionaries,  who 
came  while  young  to  the  island,  understand  the  language  better 
than  their  parents,  and  can  get  anything  more  readily  done  by 
the  natives. 

A  little  before  noon  Messrs.  Williams  and  Davies  walked  with 
me  to  part  of  a  neighbouring  forest,  to  show  me  the  famous  kauri 
pine.  I  measured  one  of  these  noble  trees,  and  found  it  thirty- 
one  feet  in  circumference  above  the  roots.  There  was  another 
close  by,  which  I  did  not  see,  thirty-three  feet ;  and  I  heard  of 
one  no  less  than  forty  feet.  These  trees  are  remarkable  for  their 
smooth  cylindrical  boles,  which  run  up  to  a  height  of  sixty,  and 
even  ninety  feet,  with  a  nearly  equal  diameter,  and  without  a 
single  branch.  The  crown  of  branches  at  the  summit  is  out  of 
all  proportion  small  to  the  trunk ;  and  the  leaves  are  likewise 
small  compared  with  the  branches.  The  forest  was  here  almost 
composed  of  the  kauri ;  and  the  largest  trees,  from  the  parallelism 
of  their  sides,  stood  up  like  gigantic  columns  of  wood.  The 
timber  of  the  kauri  is  the  most  valuable  production  of  the  island  ; 
moreover,  a  quantity  of  resin  oozes  from  the  bark,  which  is  sold 
at  a  penny  a  pound  to  the  Americans,  but  its  use  was  then  un- 
known. Some  of  the  New  Zealand  forests  must  be  impenetrable 
to  an  extraordinary  degree.  Mr.  Matthews  informed  me  that 
one  forest  only  thirty-four  miles  in  width,  and  separating  two 
inhabited  districts,  had  only  lately,  for  the  first  time,  been  crossed. 
He  and  another  missionary,  each  with  a  party  of  about  fifty  men, 
undertook  to  open  a  road  ;  but  it  cost  them  more  than  a  fort- 
night's labour !  In  the  woods  I  saw  very  few  birds.  With  re- 
gard to  animals,  it  is  a  most  remarkable  fact,  that  so  large  an 
island,  extending  over  more  than  700  miles  in  latitude,  and  in 
many  parts  ninety  broad,  with  varied  stations,  a  fine  climate,  and 
land  of  all  heights,  from  14,000  feet  downwards,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  small  rat,  did  not  possess  one  indigenous  animal.  The 
several  species  of  that  gigantic  genus  of  birds,  the  Deinornis, 


428  NEW   ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvin. 


seem  here  to  have  replaced  mammiferous  quadrupeds.,  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  reptiles  still  do  at  the  Galapagos  archipelago.  It 
is  said  that  the  common  Norway  rat,  in  the  short  space  of  two 
years,  annihilated  in  this  northern  end  of  the  island,  the  New 
Zealand  species.  In  many  places  I  noticed  several  sorts  of  weeds, 
which,  like  the  rats,  I  was  forced  to  own  as  countrymen.  A 
leek  has  overrun  whole  districts,  and  will  prove  very  trouble- 
some, but  it  was  imported  as  a  favour  by  a  French  vessel.  The 
common  dock  is  also  widely  disseminated,  and  will,  I  fear,  for 
ever  remain  a  proof  of  the  rascality  of  an  Englishman,  who  sold 
the  seeds  for  those  of  the  tobacco  plant. 

On  returning  from  our  pleasant  walk  to  the  house,  I  dined 
with  Mr.  Williams  ;  and  then,  a  horse  being  lent  me,  1  returned 
to  the  Bay  of  Islands.  I  took  leave  of  the  missionaries  with 
thankfulness  for  their  kind  welcome,  and  with  feelings  of  high 
respect  for  their  gentlemanlike,  useful,  and  upright  characters. 
I  think  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  body  of  men  better  adapted 
for  the  high  office  which  they  fulfil. 

Christmas- Day. — In  a  few  more  days  the  fourth  year  of  our 
absence  from  England  will  be  completed.  Our  first  Christmas- 
day  was  spent  at  Plymouth ;  the  second  at  St.  Martin's  Cove, 
near  Cape  Horn  ;  the  third  at  Port  Desire,  in  Patagonia ;  the 
fourth  at  anchor  in  a  wild  harbour  in  the  peninsula  of  Tres 
Montes  ;  this  fifth  here ;  and  the  next,  I  trust  in  Providence, 
will  be  in  England.  We  attended  divine  service  in  the  chapel 
of  Pahia ;  part  of  the  service  being  read  in  English,  and  part  in 
the  native  language.  Whilst  at  New  Zealand  we  did  not  hear 
of  any  recent  acts  of  cannibalism  ;  but  Mr.  Stokes  found  burnt 
human  bones  strewed  round  a  fire-place  on  a  small  island  near  the 
\nchorage ;  but  these  remains  of  a  comfortable  banquet  might 
have  been  lying  there  for  several  years.  It  is  probable  that  the 
moral  state  of  the  people  will  rapidly  improve.  Mr.  Bushby  men- 
tioned one  pleasing  anecdote  as  a  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  some, 
at  least,  of  those  who  profess  Christianity.  One  of  his  young 
men  left  him,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  read  prayers  to  the 
rest  of  the  servants.  Some  weeks  afterwards,  happening  to  pass 
late  in  the  evening  by  an  outhouse,  he  saw  and  heard  one  of  his 
men  reading  the  Bible  with  difficulty  by  the  light  of  the  fire,  to 
the  others.  After  this  the  party  knelt  and  prayed  :  in  their 


1835.]  FTJNEKAL   OF  A  XATIVE  WOMAN.  429 

prayers  they  mentioned  Mr.  Bushby  and  his  family,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries, each  separately  in  his  respective  district. 

December  26th. — Mr.  Bushby  offered  to  take  Mr.  Sulivan  and 
myself  in  his  boat  some  miles  up  the  river  to  Cawa-Cawa  ;  and 
proposed  afterwards  to  walk  on  to  the  village  of  Waiomio,  where 
there  are  some  curious  rocks.  Following  one  of  the  arms  of  the 
hay,  we  enjoyed  a  pleasant  row,  and  passed  through  pretty 
scenery,  until  we  came  to  a  village,  beyond  which  the  boat  could 
not  pass.  From  this  place  a  chief  and  a  party  of  men  volun- 
teered to  walk  with  us  to  Waiomio,  a  distance  of  four  miles. 
The  chief  was  at  this  time  rather  notorious  from  having  lately 
hung  one  of  his  wives  and  a  slave  for  adultery.  When  one  of 
the  missionaries  remonstrated  with  him  he  seemed  surprised,  and 
said  he  thought  he  was  exactly  following  the  English  method. 
Old  Shongi,  who  happened  to  be  in  England  during  the  Queen's 
trial,  expressed  great  disapprobation  at  the  whole  proceeding : 
he  said  he  had  five  wives,  and  he  would  rather  cut  off  all  their 
heads  than  be  so  much  troubled  about  one.  Leaving  this  vil- 
lage, we  crossed  over  to  another,  seated  on  a  hill-side  at  a  little 
distance.  The  daughter  of  a  chief,  who  was  still  a  heathen,  had 
died  there  five  days  before.  The  hovel  in  which  she  had  expired 
had  been  burnt  to  the  ground  :  her  body  being  enclosed  between 
two  small  canoes,  was  placed  upright  on  the  ground,  and  protected 
by  an  enclosure  bearing  wooden  images  of  their  gods,  and  the 
whole  was  painted  bright  red,  so  as  to  be  conspicuous  from  afar. 
Her  gown  was  fastened  to  the  coffin,  and  her  hair  being  cut  off 
was  cast  at  its  foot.  The  relatives  of  the  family  had  torn  the 
flesh  of  their  arms,  bodies,  and  faces,  so  that  they  were  covered 
with  clotted  blood  ;  and  the  old  women  looked  most  filthy,  dis- 
gusting objects.  On  the  following  day  some  of  the  officers  visited 
this  place,  and  found  the  women  still  howling  and  cutting  them- 
selves. 

We  continued  our  walk,  and  soon  reached  Waiomio.  Here 
there  are  some  singular  masses  of  limestone,  resembling  ruined 
castles.  These  ro'cks  have  long  served  for  burial-places,  and  in 
consequence  are  held  too  sacred  to  be  approached.  One  of  the 
young  men,  however,  cried  out,  "  Let  us  all  be  brave,"  and  ran 
on  ahead  ;  but  when  within  a  hundred  yards,  the  whole  party 
thougnt  better  of  it,  and  stopped  short.  With  perfect  indiffcr- 


430  NEW   ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

ence,  however,  they  allowed  us  to  examine  the  whole  place.  At 
this  village  we  rested  some  hours,  during  which  time  there  was 
a  long  discussion  with  Mr.  Bushby,  concerning  the  right  of  salo 
of  certain  lands.  One  old  man,  who  appeared  a  perfect  genealo- 
gist, illustrated  the  successive  possessors  by  bits  of  stick  driven 
into  the  ground.  Before  leaving  the  houses  a  little  basketful  oi 
roasted  sweet  potatoes  was  given  to  each  of  our  party ;  and  we 
all,  according  to  the  custom,  carried  them  away  to  eat  on  the 
road.  I  noticed  that  among  the  women  employed  in  cooking, 
there  was  a  man-slave  :  it  must  be  a  humiliating  thing  for  a 
man  in  this  warlike  country  to  be  employed  in  doing  that  which 
is  considered  as  the  lowest  woman's  work.  Slaves  are  not  allowed 
to  go  to  war ;  but  this  perhaps  can  hardly  be  considered  as  a 
hardship.  I  heard  of  one  poor  wretch  who,  during  hostilities, 
ran  away  to  the  opposite  party ;  being  met  by  two  men,  he  was 
immediately  seized  ;  but  as  they  could  not  agree  to  whom  he 
should  belong,  each  stood  over  him  with  a  stone  hatchet,  and 
seemed  determined  that  the  other  at  least  should  not  take  him 
away  alive.  The  poor  man,  almost  dead  with  fright,  was  only 
saved  by  the  address  of  a  chief's  wife.  We  afterwards  enjoyed  a 
pleasant  walk  back  to  the  boat,  but  did  not  reach  the  ship  till 
late  in  the  evening. 

December  30th. — In  the  afternoon  we  stood  out  of  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  on  our  course  to  Sydney.  I  believe  we  were  all  glad  to 
leave  New  Zealand.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  place.  Amongst  the 
natives  there  is  absent  that  charming  simplicity  which  is  found 
at  Tahiti ;  and  the  greater  part  of  the  English  are  the  very  refuse 
of  society.  Neither  is  the  country  itself  attractive.  I  look  back 
but  to  one  bright  spot,  and  that  is  Waimate,  with  its  Christian 
inhabitants. 


1836.]  SYDNEY. 


431 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


AUSTRALIA. 

Sydney — Excursion  to  Bathurst — Aspect  of  the  Woods — Party  of  Natives — 
Gradual  extinction  of  the  Aborigines — Infection  generated  by  associated 
men  in  health— Blue  Mountains— View  of  the  grand  gulf-like  Valleys- 
Their  origin  and  formation— Bathurst,  general  civility  of  the  lower  orders 
— State  of  society — Van  Diemen's  Land— Hobart  Town — Aborigines  all 
banished — Mount  Wellington — King  George's  Sound — Cheerless  aspect 
of  the  Country — Bald  Head,  calcareous  casts  of  branches  of  trees — 
Party  of  Natives — Leave  Australia. 

January  \2t/t,  1836. — EARLY  in  the  morning'  a  light  air  carried 
us  towards  the  entrance  of  Port  Jackson.  Instead  of  beholding 
a  verdant  country,  interspersed  with  fine  houses,  a  straight  line 
of  yellowish  cliff  brought  to  our  minds  the  coast  of  Patagonia. 
A  solitary  lighthouse,  built  of  white  stone,  alone  told  us  that  WP 
were  near  a  great  and  populous  city.  Having  entered  the  har- 
bour, it  appears  fine  and  spacious,  with  cliff-formed  shores  of 
horizontally  stratified  sandstone.  The  nearly  level  country  is 
covered  with  thin  scrubby  trees,  bespeaking  the  curse  of  sterility. 
Proceeding  further  inland,  the  country  improves :  beautiful 
villas  and  nice  cottages  are  here  and  there  scattered  along  the 
beach.  In  the  distance  stone  houses,  two  and  three  stories  high, 
and  windmills  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  bank,  pointed  out  to  us 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  capital  of  Australia. 

At  last  we  anchored  within  Sydney  Cove.  We  found  the 
little  basin  occupied  by  many  large  ships,  and  surrounded  by 
warehouses.  In  the  evening  I  walked  through  the  town,  and 
returned  full  of  admiration  at  the  whole  scene.  It  is  a  most 
magnificent  testimony  to  the  power  of  the  British  nation.  Here, 
in  a  less  premising  country,  scores  of  years  have  done  many  times 
more  than  an  equal  number  of  centuries  have  effected  in  South 
America.  My  first  feeling  was  to  congratulate  myself  that  I 
was  born  an  Englishman.  Upon  seeing  more  of  the  town  after 
wards,  perhaps  my  admiration  fell  a  little ;  but  yet  it  is  a  fine 


432  NEW   SOUTH   WALES.  [CHAP.  xrx. 

town.  The  streets  are  regular,  broad,  clean,  and  kept  in  excel- 
lent order ;  the  houses  are  of  a  good  size,  and  the  shops  well 
furnished.  It  may  be  faithfully  compared  to  the  large  suburbs 
which  stretch  out  from  London  and  a  few  other  great  towns  in 
England ;  but  not  even  near  London  or  Birmingham  is  there 
an  appearance  of  such  rapid  growth.  The  number  of  largo 
houses  and  other  buildings  just  finished  was  truly  surprising; 
nevertheless,  every  one  complained  of  the  high  rents  and  diffi- 
culty in  procuring  a  house.  Coming  from  South  America,  where 
in  the  towns  every  man  of  property  is  known,  no  one  tiling  sur- 
prised me  more  than  not  being  able  to  ascertain  at  once  to  whom 
this  or  that  carriage  belonged. 

I  hired  a  man  and  two  horses  to  take  me  to  Bathurst,  a  village 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  the  interior,  and  the 
centre  of  a  great  pastoral  district.  By  this  means  I  hoped  to 
gain  a  general  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  country.  On  the 
morning  of  the  16th  (January)  I  set  out  on  my  excursion.  The 
first  stage  took  us  to  Paramatta,  a  small  country  town,  next  to 
Sydney  in  importance.  The  roads  were  excellent,  and  made 
upon  the  MacAdam  principle,  whinstone  having  been  brought 
for  the  purpose  from  the  distance  of  several  miles.  In  all  respects 
there  was  a  close  resemblance  to  England  :  perhaps  the  alehouses 
here  were  more  numerous.  The  iron  gangs,  or  parties  of  con- 
victs who  have  committed  here  some  offence,  appeared  the  least 
like  England  :  they  were  working  in  chains,  under  the  charge  of 
sentries  with  loaded  arms.  The  power  which  the  Government 
possesses,  by  means  of  forced  labour,  of  at  once  opening  good 
roads  throughout  the  country,  has  been,  I  believe,  one  main 
cause  of  the  early  prosperity  of  this  colony.  I  slept  at  night  at 
a  very  comfortable  inn  at  Emu  ferry,  thirty-five  miles  from 
Sydney,  and  near  the  ascent  of  the  Blue  Mountains.  This  line 
of  road  is  the  most  frequented,  and  has  been  the  longest  inhabited 
of  any  in  the  colony.  The  whole  land  is  enclosed  with  high 
railings,  for  the  farmers  have  not  succeeded  in  rearing  hedges. 
There  are  many  substantial  houses  and  good  cottages  scattered 
about ;  but  although  considerable  pieces  of  land  are  under  culti- 
vation, the  greater  part  yet  remains  as  when  first  discovered. 

The  extreme  uniformity  of  the  vegetation  is  the  most  remark- 
able feature  in  the  landscape  of  the  greater  part  of  New  South 


1836.]  APPEARANCE   OF  THE   FORESTS.  433 

Wales.  Everywhere  we  have  an  open  woodland,  the  ground 
being  partially  covered  with  a  very  thin  pasture,  with  little 
appearance  of  verdure.  The  trees  nearly  all  belong  to  one 
family,  and  mostly  have  their  leaves  placed  in  a  vertical,  instead 
of,  as  in  Europe,  in  a  nearly  horizontal  position :  the  foliage  is 
scanty,  and  of  a  peculiar  pale  green  tint,  without  any  gloss. 
Hence  the  woods  appear  light  and  shadowless :  this,  although  a 
loss  of  comfort  to  the  traveller  under  the  scorching  rays  of 
Summer,  is  of  importance  to  the  farmer,  as  it  allows  grass  to 
grow  where  it  otherwise  would  not.  The  leaves  are  not  shed 
periodically :  this  character  appears  common  to  the  entire 
southern  hemisphere,  namely,  South  America,  Australia,  and 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  inhabitants  of  this  hemisphere, 
and  of  the  intertropical  regions,  thus  lose  perhaps  one  of  the 
most  glorious,  though  to  our  eyes  common,  spectacles  in  the 
world — the  first  bursting  into  full  foliage  of  the  leafless  tree. 
They  may,  however,  say  that  we  pay  dearly  for  this  by 
having  the  land  covered  with  mere  naked  skeletons  for  so  many 
months.  This  is  too  true ;  but  our  senses  thus  acquire  a  keen 
relish  for  the  exquisite  green  of  the  spring,  which  the  eyes  of 
those  living  within  the  tropics,  sated  during  the  long  year  witli 
the  gorgeous  productions  of  those  glowing  climates,  can  never 
experience.  The  greater  number  of  the  trees,  with  the  exception 
of  some  of  the  Blue-gums,  do  not  attain  a  large  size;  but  they 
grow  tall  and  tolerably  straight,  and  stand  well  apart.  The  bark 
of  some  of  the  Eucalypti  falls  annually,  or  hangs  dead  in  long 
shreds  which  swing  about  with  the  wind,  and  give  to  the  woods 
a  desolate  and  untidy  appearance.  I  cannot  imagine  a  more  com- 
plete contrast,  in  every  respect,  than  between  the  forests  of  Val- 
divia  or  Ciu'loe,  and  the  woods  of  Australia. 

At  sunset,  a  party  of  a  score  of  the  black  aborigines  passed  by, 
each  carrying,  in  their  accustomed  manner,  a  bundle  of  spears 
and  other  weapons.  By  giving  a  leading  young  man  a  shilling, 
they  were  easily  detained,  and  threw  their  spears  for  my  amuse- 
ment. They  were  all  partly  clothed,  and  several  could  speak  a 
little  English :  their  countenances  were  good-humoured  and 
pleasant,  and  they  appeared  far  from  being  such  utterly  degraded 
beings  as  they  have  usually  been  represented.  In  their  own  arts 
they  are  admirable.  A  rap  being-  fixed  at  thirtv  yards  distance, 


434  NEW   SOUTH   WALES.  [CHAP.  xix. 

they  transfixed  it  with  a  spear,  delivered  by  the  throwing-stick 
with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow  from  the  bow  of  a  practised  archer. 
In  tracking  animals  or  men  they  show  most  wonderful  sagacity ; 
and  I  heard  of  several  of  their  remarks  which  manifested  con- 
siderable acuteness.  They  will  not,  however,  cultivate  the 
ground,  or  build  houses  and  remain  stationary,  or  even  take  the 
trouble  of  tending  a  flock  of  sheep  when  given  to  them.  On  the 
whole  they  appear  to  me  to  stand  some  few  degrees  higher  in  the 
scale  of  civilization  than  the  Fuegians. 

It  is  very  curious  thus  to  see  in  the  midst  of  a  civilized  people, 
a  set  of  harmless  savages  wandering  about  without  knowing 
where  they  shall  sleep  at  night,  and  gaining  their  livelihood  by 
hunting  in  the  woods.  As  the  white  man  has  travelled  onwards, 
he  has  spread  over  the  country  belonging  to  several  tribes. 
These,  although  thus  enclosed  by  one  common  people,  keep  up 
their  ancient  distinctions,  and  sometimes  go  to  war  with  each 
other.  In  an  engagement  which  took  place  lately,  the  two 
parties  most  singularly  chose  the  centre  of  the  village  of  Bathurst 
for  the  field  of  battle.  This  was  of  service  to  the  defeated  side, 
for  the  runaway  warriors  took  refuge  in  the  barracks. 

The  number  of  aborigines  is  rapidly  decreasing.  In  my  whole 
ride,  with  the  exception  of  some  boys  brought  up  by  English- 
men, I  saw  only  one  other  party.  This  decrease,  no  doubt,  must 
be  partly  owing  to  the  introduction  of  spirits,  to  European  dis- 
eases (even  the  milder  ones  of  which,  such  as  the  measles,*  prove 
very  destructive),  and  to  the  gradual  extinction  of  the  wild  ani- 
mals. It  is  said  that  numbers  of  their  children  invariably  perish 
in  very  early  infancy  from  the  effects  of  their  wandering  life ; 
and  as  the  difficulty  of  procuring  food  increases,  so  must  their 
wandering  habits  increase;  and  hence  the  population,  without 
any  apparent  deaths  from  famine,  is  repressed  in  a  manner  ex- 
tremely sudden  compared  to  what  happens  in  civilized  countries, 
where  the  father,  though  in  adding  to  his  labour  he  may  injure 
himself,  does  not  destroy  his  offspring. 

*  It  is  remarkable  how  the  same  disease  is  modified  in  different  climates. 
At  the  little  island  of  St.  Helena,  the  introduction  of  scarlet-fever  is  dreaded 
as  a  plague.  In  some  countries,  foreigners  and  natives  are  as  differently 
affected  by  certain  contagions  disorders,  as  if  they  had  bepn  different 
animals ;  of  which  fact  some  instances  have  occurred  in  Chile ;  and,  accord 
ing  to  Humboldt,  in  Mexico.  (Polit.  Essay,  New  Spain,  vol.  iv.) 


1836.]  DECREASE   OF   THE   ABORIGINES.  435 

Besides  these  several  evident  causes  of  destruction,  there  ap- 
pears to  be  some  more  mysterious  agency  generally  at  work. 
"Wherever  the  European  has  trod,  death  seems  to  pursue  tho 
aboriginal.  We  may  look  to  the  wide  extent  of  the  Americas, 
Polynesia,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  Australia,  and  we  find 
the  same  result.  Nor  is  it  the  white  man  alone  that  thus  acts 
the  destroyer  ;  the  Polynesian  of  Malay  extraction  has  in  parts 
of  the  East  Indian  archipelago,  thus  driven  before  him  the  dark- 
coloured  native.  The  varieties  of  man  seem  to  act  on  each  other 
in  the  same  way  as  different  species  of  animals — the  stronger 
always  extirpating  the  weaker.  It  was  melancholy  at  !Ne\v 
Zealand  to  hear  the  fine  energetic  natives  saying,  that  they  knew 
the  land  was  doomed  to  pass  from  their  children.  Every  one 
has  heard  of  the  inexplicable  reduction  of  the  population  in  the 
beautiful  and  healthy  island  of  Tahiti  since  the  date  of  Captain 
Cook's  voyages :  although  in  that  case  we  might  have  expected 
that  it  would  have  been  increased ;  for  infanticide,  which  for- 
merly prevailed  to  so  extraordinary  a  degree,  has  ceased,  profli- 
gacy has  greatly  diminished,  and  the  murderous  wars  become 
less  frequent. 

The  Rev.  J.  Williams,  in  his  interesting  work,*  says,  that  the 
first  intercourse  between  natives  and  Europeans,  "  is  invariably 
attended  with  the  introduction  of  fever,  dysentery,  or  some  other 
disease,  which  carries  off  numbers  of  the  people."  Again  he 
affirms,  "  It  is  certainly  a  fact,  which  cannot  be  controverted, 
that  most  of  the  diseases  which  have  raged  in  the  islands  during 
my  residence  there,  have  been  introduced  by  ships  ;f  and  what 

*  Narrative  of  Missionary  Enterprise,  p.  282. 

f  Captain  Beechey  (chap,  iv.,  vol.  i.)  states  that  the  inhabitants  of  Pitcairu 
Island  are  firmly  convinced  that  after  the  arrival  of  every  ship  they  sufler 
cutaneous  and  other  disorders.  Captain  Beechey  attributes  this  to  the 
change  of  diet  during  the  time  of  the  visit.  Dr.  Macculloch  (Western  Isles, 
-7ol.  ii.,  p.  32)  says,  "  It  is  asserted,  that  on  the  arrival  of  a  stranger  (at 
St.  Kildu)  all  the  inhabitants,  in  the  common  phraseology,  catch  a  cold." 
Dr.  Macculloch  considers  the  whole  case,  although  often  previously  affirmed, 
as  ludicrous.  He  adds,  however,  that  "  the  question  was  put  by  us  to  the 
inhabitants  who  unanimously  agreed  in  the  story."  In  Vancouver's  Voyage, 
there  is  a  somewhat  similar  statement  with  respect  to  Otaheite.  Dr.  Dieften- 
bach,  in  a  note  to  his  translation  of  this  Journal,  states  that  the  same  fact  is 


miversally  believed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Chatham  Iblunds.and  in  pa: 
,>f  New  Zealand.     It  is  impossible  that  such  a  belief  should  have  becor 
universal  in  the  northern  hemisphere,  at  the  Autipodes,  and  ill  the  Pacific, 
without  some  good  foundation.     Humboldt  (Polit.  Essay  on  King  of  Isew 


436  NEW   SOUTH   WALES.  [CHAP.  xix. 

renders  this  fact  remarkable  is,  that  there  might  be  no  appear- 
ance of  disease  among  the  crew  of  the  ship  which  conveyed  this 
destructive  importation."  This  statement  is  not  quite  so  extra- 
ordinary as  it  at  first  appears  ;  for  several  cases  are  on  record  of 
the  most  malignant  fevers  having  broken  out,  although  the 
parties  themselves,  who  were  the  cause,  were  not  affected.  IP 
the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  George  III.,  a  prisoner  who  had 
been  confined  in  a  dungeon,  was  taken  in  a  coach  with  four  con- 
stables before  a  magistrate  ;  and,  although  the  man  himself  was 
not  ill,  the  four  constables  died  from  a  short  putrid  fever ;  but 
the  contagion  extended  to  no  others.  From  these  facts  it  would 
almost  appear  as  if  the  effluvium  of  one  set  of  men  shut  up  for 
some  time  together  was  poisonous  when  inhaled  by  others ;  and 
possibly  more  so,  if  the  men  be  of  different  races.  Mysterious 
as  this  circumstance  appears  to  be,  it  is  not  more  surprising  than 
that  the  body  of  one's  fellow-creature,  directly  after  death,  and 
before  putrefaction  has  commenced,  should  often  be  of  so  dele- 
terious a  quality,  that  the  mere  puncture  from  an  instrument 
used  in  its  dissection,  should  prove  fatal. 

lIl/i. — Early  in  the  morning  we  passed  the  Nepean  in  a  ferry 
boat.  The  river,  although  at  this  spot  both  broad  and  deep,  had 
a  very  small  body  of  running  water.  Having  crossed  a  low 
piece  of  land  on  the  opposite  side,  we  reached  the  slope  of  the 
Blue  Mountains.  The  ascent  is  not  steep,  the  road  having  been 
cut  with  much  care  on  the  side  of  a  sandstone  cliff.  On  the 
summit  an  almost  level  plain  extends,  which,  rising  impercep- 
tibly to  the  westward,  at  last  attains  a  height  of  more  than 
3000  feet.  From  so  grand  a  title  as  Blue  Mountains,  and 
from  their  absolute  altitude,  I  expected  to  have  seen  a  bold  chain 
of  mountains  crossing  the  country  ;  but  instead  of  this,  a  sloping 
plain  presents  merely  an  inconsiderable  front  to  the  low  land 
near  the  coast.  From  this  first  slope,  the  view  of  the  extensive 
woodland  to  the  east  was  striking,  and  the  surrounding  trees 

Spain,  vol.  iv.)  says,  that  the  great  epidemics  at  Panama  and  Callao  are 
"  marked  "  by  the  arrival  of  ships  from  Chile,  because  the  people  from  that 
temperate  region,  first  experience  the  fatal  effects  of  the  torrid  zones.  I 
may  add,  that  I  have  heard  it  stated  in  Shropshire,  that  sheep,  which  have 
been  imported  from  vessels,  although  themselves  in  a  healthy  condition, 
if  placed  in  the  same  fold  with  others,  frequently  produce  sickness  in  the 
flock. 


1836.]  GREAT   CLIFF-BOUNDED   VALLEY.  437 

grew  bold  and  lofty.  But  when  once  on  the  sandstone  platform, 
the  scenery  becomes  exceedingly  monotonous ;  each  side  of  the 
road  is  bordered  by  scrubby  trees  of  the  never-failing  Euca- 
lyptus family ;  and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  small 
inns,  there  are  no  houses  or  cultivated  land  :  the  road,  moreover, 
is  solitary ;  the  most  frequent  object  being  a  bullock-waggon, 
piled  up  with  bales  of  wool. 

In  the  middle  of  the  day  we  baited  our  horses  at  a  little  inn, 
called  the  Weatherboard.  The  country  here  is  elevated  2800 
feet  above  the  sea.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  from  this  place 
there  is  a  view  exceedingly  well  worth  visiting.  Following 
down  a  little  valley  and  its  tiny  rill  of  water,  an  immense  gulf 
unexpectedly  opens  through  the  trees  which  border  the  path- 
way, at  the  depth  of  perhaps  1500  feet.  Walking  on  a  few  yards, 
one  stands  on  the  brink  of  a  vast  precipice,  and  below  one  sees  a 
grand  bay  or  gulf,  for  I  know  not  what  other  name  to  give  it, 
thickly  covered  with  forest.  The  point  of  view  is  situated  as  if 
at  the  head  of  a  bay,  the  line  of  cliff  diverging  on  each  side, 
and  showing  headland  behind  headland,  as  on  a  bold  sea-coast. 
These  cliffs  are  composed  of  horizontal  strata  of  whitish  sand- 
stone ;  and  are  so  absolutely  vertical,  that  in  many  places  a  person 
standing  on  the  edge  and  throwing  down  a  stone,  can  see  it  strike 
the  trees  in  the  abyss  belo\v.  So  unbroken  is  the  line  of  cliff, 
that  in  order  to  reach  the  foot  of  the  waterfall,  formed  by  this 
little  stream,  it  is  said  to  be  necessary  to  go  sixteen  miles  round. 
About  five  miles  distant  in  front,  another  line  of  cliff  extends, 
which  thus  appears  completely  to  encircle  the  valley ;  and  hence 
the  name  of  bay  is  justified,  as  applied  to  this  grand  amphi- 
theatrical  depression.  If  we  imagine  a  winding  harbour,  with 
its  deep  water  surrounded  by  bold  cliff-like  shores,  to  be  laid  dry, 
and  a  forest  to  spring  up  on  its  sandy  bottom,  we  should  then 
have  the  appearance  and  structure  here  exhibited.  This  kind  of 
view  was  to  me  quite  novel,  and  extremely  magnificent. 

In  the  evening  we  reached  the  Blackheath.  The  sandstone 
plateau  has  here  attained  the  height  of  34QO  feet ;  and  is  covered, 
as  before,  with  the  same  scrubby  woods.  From  the  road,  there 
were  occasional  glimpses  into  a  profound  valley,  of  the  same  cha- 
racter as  the  one  described ;  but  from  the  steepness  and  depth 
of  its  sides,  the  bottom  was  scarcely  ever  to  be  seen.  The 


438  NEW   SOUTH   WALES.  (CHAP.  xix. 

Blacklieath  is  a  very  comfortable  inn,  kept   by  an  old  soldier  ? 
and  it  reminded  me  of  the  small  inns  in  North  Wales. 

18th. — Very  early  in  the  morning,  I  walked  about  three  miles 
to  see  Govett's  Leap :  a  view  of  a  similar  character  with  that 
near  the  Weatherboard,  but  perhaps  even  more  stupendous.  So 
early  in  the  day  the  gulf  was  filled  with  a  thin  blue  haze,  which, 
although  destroying  the  general  effect  of  the  view,  added  to  the 
apparent  depth  at  which  the  forest  was  stretched  out  beneath  our 
feet.  These  valleys,  which  so  long  presented  an  insuperable 
barrier  to  the  attempts  of  the  most  enterprising  of  the  colonists 
to  reach  the  interior,  are  most  remarkable.  Great  arm-like 
bays,  expanding  at  their  upper  ends,  often  branch  from  the  main 
valleys  and  penetrate  the  sandstone  platform  ;  on  the  other  hand, 
the  platform  often  sends  promontories  into  the  valleys,  and  even 
leaves  in  them  great,  almost  insulated,  masses.  To  descend  into 
some  of  these  valleys,  it  is  necessary  to  go  round  twenty  miles ; 
and  into  others,  the  surveyors  have  only  lately  penetrated,  and 
the  colonists  have  not  yet  been  able  to  drive  in  their  cattle.  But 
the  most  remarkable  feature  in  their  structure  is,  that  although 
several  miles  wide  at  their  heads,  they  generally  contract  towards 
their  mouths  to  such  a  degree  as  to  become  impassable.  The 
Surveyor-General,  Sir  T.  Mitchell,*  endeavoured  in  vain,  first 
walking  and  then  by  crawling  between  the  great  fallen  fragments 
of  sandstone,  to  ascend  through  the  gorge  by  which  the  river 
Grose  joins  the  Nepean  ;  yet  the  valley  of  the  Grose  in  its 
upper  part,  as  I  saw,  forms  a  magnificent  level  basin  some  miles 
in  width,  and  is  on  all  sides  surrounded  by  cliffs,  the  summits  of 
which  are  believed  to  be  nowhere  less  than  3000  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  When  cattle  are  driven  into  the  valley  of  the 
Wolgan  by  a  path  (which  I  descended),  partly  natural  and  partly 
made  by  the  owner  of  the  land,  they  cannot  escape ;  for  this 
valley  is  in  every  other  part  surrounded  by  perpendicular  cliffs, 
and  eight  miles  lower  down,  it  contracts  from  an  average  width 
of  half  a  mile,  to  a  mere  chasm,  impassable  to  man  or  boast. 
Sir  T.  Mitchell  states  that  the  great  valley  of  the  Cox  river  with 
all  its  branches,  contracts,  where  it  unites  with  the  Nepean,  into 

*  Travels  in  Australia,  vol.  i.,  p.  154.  I  must  express  my  obligation  tc 
Sir  T.  Mitchell,  for  several  interesting  personal  communications,  on  the 
subject  of  these  great  valleys  of  New  South  Wales. 


1836.]  GREAT   VALLEYS.  439 

a  gorge  2200  yards  in  width,  and  about   1000  feet  in  depth. 
Other  similar  cases  might  have  been  added. 

The  first  impression,  on  seeing  the  correspondence  of  the  hori- 
zontal strata  on  each  side  of  these  valleys  and  great  amphithea- 
trical  depressions,  is  that  they  have  been  hollowed  out,  like  other 
valleys,  by  tho  action  of  water ;  but  when  one  reflects  on  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  stone,  which  on  this  view  must  have  been  re- 
moved through  mere  gorges  or  chasms,  one  is  led  to  ask  whether 
these  spaces  may  not  have  subsided.  But  considering  the  form 
of  the  irregularly  branching  valleys,  and  of  the  narrow  promon- 
tories projecting  into  them  from  the  platforms,  we  are  compelled 
to  abandon  this  notion.  To  attribute  these  hollows  to  the  pre- 
sent alluvial  action  would  be  preposterous ;  nor  does  the  drain- 
age from  the  summit-level  always  fall,  as  I  remarked  near  the 
Weatherboard,  into  the  head  of  these  valleys,  but  into  one  side 
of  their  bay -like  recesses.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  remarked  to 
me  that  they  never  viewed  one  of  those  bay-like  recesses,  with 
the  headlands  receding  on  both  hands,  without  being  struck  with 
their  resemblance  to  a  bold  sea-coast.  This  is  certainly  the  case ; 
moreover,  on  the  present  coast  of  New  South  Wales,  the  nume- 
rous, fine,  widely-branching  harbours,  which  are  generally  con- 
nected with  the  sea  by  a  narrow  mouth  worn  through  the  sand- 
stone coast-clitfs,  varying  from  one  mile  in  width  to  a 'quarter 
of  a  mile,  present  a  likeness,  though  on  a  miniature  scale,  to 
the  great  valleys  of  the  interior.  But  then  immediately  occurs 
the  startling  difficulty,  why  has  the  sea  worn  out  these  great, 
though  circumscribed  depressions  on  a  wide  platform,  and  left 
mere  gorges  at  the  openings,  through  which  the  whole  vast  amount 
of  triturated  matter  must  have  been  carried  away  ?  The  only 
light  I  can  throw  upon  this  enigma,  is  by  remarking  that  banks 
of  the  most  irregular  forms  appear  to  be  now  forming  in  some 
seas,  as  in  parts  of  the  West  Indies  and  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  that 
their  sides  are  exceedingly  steep.  Such  banks,  I  have  been  led 
to  suppose,  have  been  formed  by  sediment  heaped  by  strong  cur- 
rents on  an  irregular  bottom.  That  in  some  cases  the  sea,  instead 
of  spreading  out  sediment  in  a  uniform  sheet,  heaps  it  round 
submarine  rocks  and  islands,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  doubt,  aftet 
examining  the  charts  of  the  West  Indies ;  and  that  the  waves 
have  power  to  form  high  and  precipitous  cliffs,  even  in  lard- 
29 


440  NEW   SOUTH   WALES.  [CHAP.  xix. 


locked  harbours,  I  have  noticed  in  many  parts  of  South  America. 
To  apply  these  ideas  to  the  sandstone  platforms  of  New  South 
Wales,  I  imagine  that  the  strata  were  heaped  by  the  action  ot 
strong  currents,  and  of  the  undulations  of  an  open  sea,  on  an 
irregular  bottom ;  and  that  the  valley-like  spaces  thus  left  un- 
filled had  their  steeply  sloping  flanks  worn  into  cliffs,  during  a 
slow  elevation  of  the  land ;  the  worn-down  sandstone  being  re- 
moved, either  at  the  time  when  the  narrow  gorges  were  cut  by 
the  retreating  sea,  or  subsequently  by  alluvial  action. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Blackheath,  we  descended  from  the 
sandstone  platform  by  the  pass  of  Mount  Victoria.  To  effect 
this  pass,  an  enormous  quantity  of  stone  has  been  cut  through  ; 
the  design,  and  its  manner  of  execution,  being  worthy  of  any 
line  of  road  in  England.  We  now  entered  upon  a  country  less 
elevated  by  nearly  a  thousand  feet,  and  consisting  of  granite. 
With  the  change  of  rock,  the  vegetation  improved ;  the  trees 
were  both  finer  and  stood  farther  apart ;  and  the  pasture  be- 
tween them  was  a  little  greener  and  more  plentiful.  At  Hassan's 
Walls,  I  left  the  high  road,  and  made  a  short  detour  to  a  farm 
called  Walerawang ;  to  the  superintendent  of  which  I  had  a 
letter  of  introduction  from  the  owner  in  Sydney.  Mr.  Browne 
had  the  kindness  to  ask  me  to  stay  the  ensuing  day,  which  I  had 
much  pleasure  in  doing.  This  place  offers  an  example  of  one  of 
the  large  funning,  or  rather  sheep-grazing,  establishments  of  the 
colony.  Cattle  and  horses  are,  however,  in  this  case  rather  more 
numerous  than  usual,  owing  to  some  of  the  valleys  being  swampy 
and  producing  a  coarser  pasture.  Two  or  three  flat  pieces  of 
ground  near  the  house  were  cleared  and  cultivated  with  corn, 
which  the  harvest-men  were  now  reaping :  but  no  more  wheat  is 
sown  than  sufficient  for  the  annual  support  of  the  labourers  em- 
ployed on  the  establishment.  The  usual  number  of  assigned 
convict-servants  here  is  about  forty,  but  at  the  present  time  there 
were  rather  more.  Although  the  farm  was  well  stocked  with 
every  necessary,  there  was  an  apparent  absence  of  comfort ;  and 
not  one  single  woman  resided  here.  The  sunset  of  a  fine  day 
will  generally  cast  an  air  of  happy  contentment  on  any  scene ; 
but  here,  at  this  retired  farm-house,  the  brightest  tints  on  the 
surrounding  woods  could  not  make  me  forget  .nat  forty  har- 


1836.]  ORNITHORHYNCHUS.  441 

clened,  profligate  men  were  ceasing  from  their  daily  labours; 
like  the  slaves  from  Africa,  yet  without  their  holy  claim  for 
compassion. 

Early  on  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Archer,  the  joint  superin- 
tendent, had  the  kindness  to  take  me  out  kangaroo-hunting.  We 
continued  riding  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  but  had  very  bad 
sport,  not  seeing  a  kangaroo,  or  even  a  wild  dog.  The  grey- 
hounds pursued  a  kangaroo  rat  into  a  hollow  tree,  out  of  which 
we  dragged  it :  it  is  an  animal  as  large  as  a  rabbit,  but  with  the 
figure  of  a  kangaroo.  A  few  years  since  this  country  abounded 
with  wild  animals ;  but  now  the  emu  is  banished  to  a  long  dis- 
tance, and  the  kangaroo  is  become  scarce ;  to  both  the  English 
greyhound  has  been  highly  destructive.  It  may  be  long  before 
these  animals  are  altogether  exterminated,  but  their  doom  is  fixed. 
The  aborigines  are  always  anxious  to  borrow  the  dogs  from  the 
farm-houses:  the  use  of  them,  the  offal  when  an  animal  is  killed, 
and  some  milk  from  the  cows,  are  the  peace-ofierings  of  the 
settlers,  who  push  farther  and  farther  towards  the  interior.  The 
thoughtless  aboriginal,  blinded  by  these  trifling  advantages,  is 
delighted  at  the  approach  of  the  white  man,  who  seems  predes- 
tined to  inherit  the  country  of  his  children. 

Although  having  poor  sport,  we  enjoyed  a  pleasant  ride.  The 
woodland  is  generally  so  open  that  a  person  on  horseback  can 
gallop  through  it.  It  is  traversed  by  a  few  Hat-bottomed  valleys, 
which  are  green  and  free  from  trees :  in  such  spots  the  scenery 
was  pretty  like  that  of  a  park.  In  the  whole  country  I  scarcely 
saw  a  place  without  the  marks  of  a  fire ;  whether  these  had  been 
more  or  less  recent— whether  the  stumps  were  more  or  less  black, 
was  the  greatest  change  which  varied  the  uniformity,  so  weari- 
some to  the  traveller's  eye.  In  these  woods  there  are  not  many 
birds;  I  saw,  however,  some  large  flocks  of  the  white  cockatoo 
feeding  in  a  corn-field,  and  a  few  most  beautiful  parrots;  crows 
like  our  jackdawsiwere  not  uncommon,  and  another  bird  some- 
thing like  the  magpie.  In  the  dusk  of  the  evening  I  took  a  stroll 
along  a  chain  of  ponds,  which  in  this  dry  country  represented 
the  course  of  a  river,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  several  of 
the  famous  Ornithorhynchus  paradoxus.  They  were  diving  and 
playing  about  the  surface  of  the  water,  but  showed  so  little  of 
their  bodies,  that  they  might  easily  have  been  mistaken  for  water- 


442  NEW   SOUTH  WALES.  [CHAP.  xix. 


rats.  Mr.  Browne  shot  one :  certainly  it  is  a  most  extraordinary 
animal ;  a  stuffed  specimen  does  not  at  all  give  a  good  idea  of  the 
appearance  of  the  head  and  beak  when  fresh  ;  the  latter  becoming 
hard  and  contracted.* 

20th. — A  long  day's  ride  to  Bathurst.  Before  joining  the 
high  road  we  followed  a  mere  path  through  the  forest ;  and 
the  country,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  squatters'  huts,  was 
very  solitary.  We  experienced  this  day  the  sirocco-like  wind  of 
Australia,  which  comes  from  the  parched  deserts  of  the  interior. 
Clouds  of  dust  were  travelling  in  every  direction  ;  and  the  wind 
felt  as  if  it  had  passed  over  a  fire.  I  afterwards  heard  that  the 
thermometer  out  of  doors  had  stood  at  1 19°,  and  in  a  closed  room 
at  96°.  In  the  afternoon  we  came  in  view  of  the  downs  of  Ba- 
thurst. These  undulating  but  nearly  smooth  plains  are  very 
remarkable  in  this  country,  from  being  absolutely  destitute  of 
trees.  They  support  only  a  thin  brown  pasture.  We  rode  some 
miles  over  this  country,  and  then  reached  the  township  of  Ba- 
thurst, seated  in  the  middle  of  what  may  be  called  either  a  very 
broad  valley,  or  narrow  plain.  I  was  told  at  Sydney  not  to 
form  too  bad  an  opinion  of  Australia  by  judging  of  the  country 
from  the  road-side,  nor  too  good  a  one  from  Bathurst ;  in  this 
latter  respect,  I  did  not  feel  myself  in  the  least  danger  of  being 
prejudiced.  The  season,  it  must  be  owned,  had  been  one  of  great 
drought,  and  the  country  did  not  wear  a  favourable  aspect ; 
although  I  understand  it  was  incomparably  worse  two  or  three 
months  before.  The  secret  of  the  rapidly  growing  prosperity  of 
Bathurst  is,  that  the  brown  pasture  which  appears  to  the 
stranger's  eye  so  wretched,  is  excellent  for  sheep-grazing.  The 
town  stands,  at  the  height  of  2200  feet  above  the  sea,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Macquarie :  this  is  one  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the 
vast  and  scarcely  known  interior.  The  line  of  watershed,  which 
divides  the  inland  streams  from  those  on  the  coast,  has  a  height 

*  I  was  interested  by  finding  here  the  hollow  conical  pitfall  of  the  lion- 
ant,  or  some  other  insect :  first  a  fly  fell  down  the  treacherous  slope  and 
immediately  disappeared  ;  then  came  a  large  but  unwary  ant ;  its  struggles 
,o  »scape  being  very  violent,  those  curious  little  jets  of  sand,  described  by 
Kirby  and  Spence  (Entomol.,  vol.  i.,  p.  425)  as  being  flirted  by  the  insect's 
tail,  were  promptly  directed  against  the  expected  victim.  But  the  ant  en- 
joyed a  better  fate  than  the  fly,  and  escaped  the  fatal  jaws  which  lay  con- 
cealed at  the  base  of  the  conical  hollow.  This  Australian  pit-fall  was  oul^ 
about  half  the  size  of  that  made  by  the  European  lion-ant. 


1836.]  STATE  OF  SOCIETY.  443 

of  about  3000  feet,  and  runs  in  a  north  and  south  direction  at 
the  distance  of  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  miles  from  the  sea-side. 
The  Macquarie  figures  in  the  map  as  a  respectable  river,  and  it 
is  the  largest  of  those  draining  this  part  of  the  water-shed ;  yet 
to  my  surprise  I  found  it  a  mere  chain  of  ponds,  separated  from 
each  other  by  spaces  almost  dry.  Generally  a  small  stream  is 
running;  and  sometimes  there  are  high  and  impetuous  floods. 
Scanty  as  the  supply  of  the  water  is  throughout  this  district,  it 
becomest  still  scantier  further  inland. 

22nd. — I  commenced  my  return,  and  followed  a  new  road 
called  Lockyer's  Line,  along  which  the  country  is  rather  more 
hilly  and  picturesque.  This  was  a  long  day's  ride  ;  and  the  house 
where  I  wished  to  sleep  was  some  way  off  the  road,  and  not  easily 
found.  I  met  on  this  occasion,  and  indeed  on  all  others,  a  very 
general  and  ready  civility  among  the  lower  orders,  which,  when 
one  considers  what  they  are,  and  what  they  have  been,  would 
scarcely  have  been  expected.  The  farm  where  I  passed  the  night, 
was  owned  by  two  young  men  who  had  only  lately  come  out, 
and  were  beginning  a  settler's  life.  The  total  want  of  almost 
every  comfort  was  not  very  attractive ;  but  future  and  certain 
prosperity  was  before  their  eyes,  and  that  not  far  distant. 

The  next  day  we  passed  through  large  tracts  of  country  in 
flames,  volumes  of  smoke  sweeping  across  the  road.  Before  noon 
we  joined  our  former  road,  and  ascended  Mount  Victoria.  I 
slept  at  the  Weatherboard,  and  before  dark  took  another  walk  to 
the  amphitheatre.  On  the  road  to  Sydney  I  spent  a  very  pleasant 
evening  with  Captain  King  at  Dunheved ;  and  thus  ended  my 
little  excursion  in  the  colony  of  New  South  Wales. 

Before  arriving  here  the  three  things  which  interested  me 
most  were — the  state  of  society  amongst  the  higher  classes,  the 
condition  of  the  convicts,  and  the  degree  of  attraction  sufficient 
to  induce  persons  to  emigrate.  Of  course,  after  so  very  short  a 
visit,  one's  opinion  is  worth  scarcely  anything;  but  it  is  as  diffi- 
cult not  to  form  some  opinion,  as  it  is  to  form  a  correct  judg- 
ment. On  the  whole,  from  what  I  heard,  more  than  from  what 
I  saw,  I  was  disappointed  in  the  state  of  society.  The  whole 
community  is  rancorously  divided  into  parties  on  almost  every 
subject.  Among  those  who,  from  their  station  in  life,  ought  to 
be  the  best,  many  live  in  such  open  profligacy  that  respectable 


444  NEW   SOUTH   WALES.  [CIIAI-.  X1x. 

people  cannot  associate  with  them.  There  is  much  jealousy  b"e- 
tween  the  children  of  the  rich  emancipist  and  the  free  settlers, 
the  former  being  pleased  to  consider  honest  men  as  interlopers. 
The  whole  population,  poor  and  rich,  are  bent  on  acquiring 
wealth  :  amongst  the  higher  orders,  wool  and  sheep-grazing 
form  the  constant  subject  of  conversation.  There  are  many 
srrious  drawbacks  to  the  comforts  of  a  family,  the  chief  oi 
v  hich,  perhaps,  is  being  surrounded  by  convict  servants.  How 
thoroughly  odious  to  every  feeling,  to  be  waited  on  by  a  man 
who  the  day  before,  perhaps,  was  flogged,  from  your  representa- 
tion, for  some  trifling  misdemeanour.  The  female  servants  are 
of  course  much  worse  :  hence  children  learn  the  vilest  expressions, 
and  it  is  fortunate,  if  not  equally  vile  ideas. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  capital  of  a  person,  without  any  trouble 
on  his  part,  produces  him  treble  interest  to  what  it  will  in  Eng- 
land ;  and  with  care  he  is  sure  to  grow  rich.  The  luxuries  of 
life  are  in  abundance,  and  very  little  dearer  than  in  England, 
and  most  articles  of  food  are  cheaper.  The  climate  is  splendid, 
and  perfectly  healthy ;  but  to  my  rnind  its  charms  are  lost  by 
the  uninviting  aspect  of  the  country.  Settlers  possess  a  great 
advantage  in  finding  their  sons  of  service  when  very  young.  Ai 
the  age  of  from  sixteen  to  twenty,  they  frequently  take  charge 
of  distant  farming  stations.  This,  however,  must  happen  at  the 
expense  of  their  boys  associating  entirely  with  convict  servants. 
I  am  not  aware  that  the  tone  of  society  has  assumed  any  peculiai 
character ;  but  with  such  habits,  and  without  intellectual  pur- 
suits, it  can  hardly  fail  to  deteriorate.  My  opinion  is  such,  that 
nothing  but  rather  sharp  necessity  should  compel  me  to  emi- 
grate. 

The  rapid  prosperity  and  future  prospects  of  this  colony  are  to 
me,  not  understanding  these  subjects,  very  puzzling.  The  two 
main  exports  are  wool  and  whale-oil,  and  to  both  of  these  pro- 
ductions there  is  a  limit.  The  country  is  totally  unfit  for  ranals, 
therefore  there  is  a  not  very  distant  point,  beyond  which  the 
land-carriage  of  wool  will  not  repay  the  expense  of  shearing  and 
tending  sheep.  Pasture  everywhere  is  so  thin  that  settlers  have 
already  pushed  far  into  the  interior :  moreover,  the  country 
further  inland  becomes  extremely  poor.  Agriculture,  on  account 
of  the  droughts,  can  never  succeed  on  an  extended  scale :  there- 


1836.]  STATE   OF  THE  CONVICTS.  445 

fore,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  Australia  must  ultimately  depend  upon 
being  the  centre  of  commerce  for  the  southern  hemisphere, 
and  perhaps  on  her  future  manufactories.  Possessing  coal,  she 
always  has  the  moving  power  at  hand.  From  the  habitable 
country  extending  along  the  coast,  and  from  her  English  extrac- 
tion, she  is  sure  to  be  a  maritime  nation.  I  formerly  imagined 
that  Australia  would  rise  to  be  as  grand  and  powerful  a  country 
as  North  America,  but  now  it  appears  to  me  that  such  future 
grandeur  is  rather  problematical. 

With  respect  to  the  state  of  the  convicts,  I  had  still  fewer 
opportunities  of  judging  than  on  the  other  points.  The  first 
question  is,  whether  their  condition  is  at  all  one  of  punishment : 
no  one  will  maintain  that  it  is  a  very  severe  one.  This,  however, 
I  suppose,  is  of  little  consequence  as  long  as  it  continues  to  be 
an  object  of  dread  to  criminals  at  home.  The  corporeal  wants 
of  the  convicts  are  tolerably  well  supplied  :  their  prospect  of 
future  liberty  and  comfort  is  not  distant,  and  after  good  conduct 
certain.  A  "  ticket  of  leave,"  which,  as  long  as  a  man  keeps 
clear  of  suspicion  as  well  as  of  crime,  makes  him  free  within  a 
certain  district,  is  given  upon  good  conduct,  after  years  propor- 
tional to  the  length  of  the  sentence ;  yet  with  all  this,  and  over- 
looking the  previous  imprisonment  and  wretched  passage  out,  I 
believe  the  years  of  assignment  are  passed  away  with  discontent 
and  unhappiness.  As  an  intelligent  man  remarked  to  me,  the 
convicts  know  no  pleasure  beyond  sensuality,  and  in  this  they  are 
not  gratified.  The  enormous  bribe  which  Government  possesses 
in  offering  free  pardons,  together  with  the  deep  horror  of  the 
secluded  penal  settlements,  destroys  confidence  between  the  con- 
victs, and  so  prevents  crime.  As  to  a  sense  of  shame,  such  a 
feeling  does  not  appear  to  be  known,  and  of  this  I  witnessed 
some  very  singular  proofs.  Though  it  is  a  curious  fact,  I  was 
universally  told  that  the  character  of  the  convict  population  is 
one  of  arrant  cowardice:  not  unfrequently  some  become  despe- 
rate, and  quite  indifferent  as  to  life,  yet  a  plan  requiring  cool  or 
continued  courage  is  seldom  put  into  execution.  The  worst 
feature  in  the  whole  case  is,  that  although  there  exists  what  may 
oe  called  a  legal  reform,  ami  comparatively  little  is  committed 
which  the  law  can  touch,  yet  that  any  moral  reform  should  take 
place  appears  to  be  quite  out  of  the  question.  I  was  assured  by 


446  VAN  DIEMEN'S   LAND.  [CHAP.  xix. 

well-informed  people,  that  a  man  who  should  try  to  improve, 
could  not  while  living  with  other  assigned  servants ; — his  life 
would  be  one  of  intolerable  misery  and  persecution.  Nor  must 
the  contamination  of  the  convict-ships  and  prisons,  both  here 
and  in  England,  be  forgotten.  On  the  whole,  as  a  place  (if 
punishment,  the  object  is  scarcely  gained  ;  as  a  real  system  of 
reform  it  has  failed,  as  perhaps  would  every  other  plan  ;  but  as 
a  means  of  making  men  outwardly  honest, — of  converting  vaga- 
bonds, most  useless  in  one  hemisphere,  into  active  citizens  oi 
another,  and  thus  giving  birth  to  a  new  and  splendid  country — a 
grand  centre  of  civilization — it  has  succeeded  to  a  degree  perhaps 
unparalleled  in  history. 

3Qtk. — The  Beagle  sailed  for  Hob'art  Town  in  Van  Diemen's 
Land.  On  the  5th  of  February,  after  a  six  days'  passage,  of 
which  the  first  part  was  fine,  and  the  latter  very  cold  and  squally, 
we  entered  the  mouth  of  Storm  Bay :  the  weather  justified  this 
awful  name.  The  bay  should  rather  be  called  an  estuary,  for  it 
receives  at  its  head  the  waters  of  the  Derwent.  Near  the  mouth, 
there  are  some  extensive  basaltic  platforms  ;  but  higher  up  the 
land  becomes  mountainous,  and  is  covered  by  a  light  wood.  The 
lower  parts  of  the  hills  which  skirt  the  bay  are  cleared  ;  and  the 
bright  yellow  fields  of  corn,  and  dark  green  ones  of  potatoes, 
appeared  very  luxuriant.  Late  in  the  evening  we  anchored  in 
the  snug  cove,  on  the  shores  of  which  stands  the  capital  of  Tas- 
mania. The  first  aspect  of  the  place  was  very  inferior  to  that  of 
Sydney  ;  the  latter  might  be  called  a  city,  this  only  a  town.  It 
stands  at  the  base  of  Mount  Wellington,  a  mountain  3100  feet 
high,  but  of  little  picturesque  beauty:  from  this  source,  how- 
ever, it  receives  a  good  supply  of  water.  Round  the  cove  there 
are  some  fine  warehouses,  and  on  one  side  a  small  fort.  Coming 
from  the  Spanish  settlements,  where  such  magnificent  care  haa 
generally  been  paid  to  the  fortifications,  the  means  of  defence  in 
these  colonies  appeared  very  contemptible.  Comparing  the  town 
with  Sydney,  I  was  chiefly  struck  with  the  comparative  fewness 
of  the  large  houses,  either  built  or  building.  Hobart  Town,  from 
the  census  of  1835,  contained  13,826  inhabitants,  and  the  whole 
of  Tasmania  36,505. 

All  the  aborigines  have  been  removed  to  an  island  in  Bass's 


1836.1  ABORIGINES.  447 

Straits,  so  that  Van  Diemen's  Land  enjoys  the  great  advantage 
of  being  free  from  a  native  population.  This  most  cruel  step 
seems  to  have  been  quite  unavoidable,  as  the  only  means  of 
stopping  a  fearful  succession  of  robberies,  burnings,  and  mur- 
ders, committed  by  the  blacks ;  and  which  sooner  or  later  would 
have  ended  in  their  utter  destruction.  I  fear  there  is  no  doubt, 
that  this  train  of  evil  and  its  consequences,  originated  in  the  in- 
famous conduct  of  some  of  our  countrymen.  Thirty  years  is  a 
short  period,  in  which  to  have  banished  the  last  aboriginal  from 
his  native  island, — and  that  island  nearly  as  large  as  Ireland. 
The  correspondence  on  this  subject,  which  took  place  between 
the  government  at  home  and  that  of  Van  Diemen's  Land,  is  very 
interesting.  Although  numbers  of  natives  were  shot  and  taken 
prisoners  in  the  skirmishing,  which  was  going  on  at  intervals  for 
several  years ;  nothing  seems  fully  to  have  impressed  them  with 
the  idea  of  our  overwhelming  power,  until  the  whole  island,  in 
1830,  was  put  under  martial  law,  and  by  proclamation  the  whole 
population  commanded  to  assist  in  one  great  attempt  to  secure 
the  entire  race.  Trie  plan  adopted  was  nearly  similar  to  that  of 
the  great  hunting-matches  in  India :  a  line  was  formed  reaching 
across  the  island,  with  the  intention  of  driving  the  natives  into 
a  cul-de-sac  on  Tasman's  peninsula.  The  attempt  failed  ;  the 
natives,  having  tied  up  their  dogs,  stole  during  one  night  through 
the  lines.  This  is  far  from  surprising,  when  their  practised  senses, 
and  usual  manner  of  crawling  after  wild  animals  is  considered. 
I  have  been  assured  that  they  can  conceal  themselves  on  almost 
bare  ground,  in  a  manner  which  until  witnessed  is  scarcely  cre- 
dible ;  their  dusky  bodies  being  easily  mistaken  for  the  blackened 
stumps  which  are  scattered  all  over  the  country.  I  was  told 
of  a  trial  between  a  party  of  P^nglishmen  and  a  native,  who  was 
to  stand  in  full  view  on  the  side  of  a  bare  hill;  if  the  English- 
men closed  their  eyes  for  less  than  a  minute,  he  would  squat 
down,  and  then  they  were  never  able  to  distinguish  him  from 
the  surrounding  stumps.  But  to  return  to  the  hunting-match ; 
the  natives  understanding  this  kind  of  warfare,  were  terribly 
inarmed,  for  they  at  once  perceived  the  power  and  numbers  oi 
the  whites.  Shortly  afterwards  a  party  of  thirteen  belonging  to 
two  tribes  came  in;  and,  conscious  of  their  unprotected  condi- 
tion, delii  ered  themselves  up  in  despair.  Subsequently  by  the 


448  VAN   DIEMEN'S  LAND.  [CHAP.  xix. 

intrepid  exertions  of  Mr.  Robinson,  an  active  and  benevolent 
man,  who  fearlessly  visited  by  himself  the  most  hostile  of  the 
natives,  the  whole  were  induced  to  act  in  a  similar  manner. 
They  were  then  removed  to  an  island,  where  food  and  clothes 
were  provided  them.  Count  Strzelecki  states,*  that  "at  the 
epoch  of  their  deportation  in  1835,  the  number  of  natives 
amounted  to  210.  In  1842,  that  is  after  the  interval  of  seven 
years,  they  mustered  only  fifty-four  individuals ;  and,  while  each 
family  of  the  interior  of  New  South  Wales,  uncontaminated  by 
contact  with  the  whites,  swarms  with  children,  those  of  Flinders' 
Island  had  during  eight  years,  an  accession  of  only  fourteen  in 
number !" 

The  Beagle  staid  here  ten  days,  and  in  this  time  I  made  se- 
veral pleasant  little  excursions,  chiefly  with  the  object  of  examin- 
ing the  geological  structure  of  the  immediate  neighbourhood. 
The  main  points  of  interest  consist,  first  in  some  highly  fossili- 
ferous  strata,  belonging  to  the  Devonian  or  Carboniferous  period ; 
secondly,  in  proofs  of  a  late  small  rise  of  the  land ;  and  lastly,  in 
a  solitary  and  superficial  patch  of  yellowish  limestone  or  tra- 
vertin, which  contains  numerous  impressions  of  leaves  of  trees, 
together  with  land-shells,  not  now  existing.  It  is  not  impro- 
bable that  this  one  small  quarry,  includes  the  only  remaining 
record  of  the  vegetation  of  Van  Diemen's  Land  during  one 
former  epoch. 

The  climate  here  is  damper  than  in  New  South  Wales,  and 
hence  the  land  is  more  fertile.  Agriculture  flourishes :  the  cul- 
tivated fields  look  well,  and  the  gardens  abound  with  thriving 
vegetables  and  fruit-trees.  Some  of  the  farm-houses,  situated 
in  retired  spots,  had  a  very  attractive  appearance.  The  general 
aspect  of  the  vegetation  is  similar  to  that  of  Australia ;  perhaps 
it  is  a  little  more  green  and  cheerful ;  and  the  pasture  between 
the  trees  rather  more  abundant.  One  day  I  took  a  long  walk 
on  the  side  of  the  bay  opposite  to  the  town  :  I  crossed  in  a  steam- 
boat, two  of  which  are  constantly  plying  backwards  and  forwards. 
The  machinery  of  one  of  these  vessels  was  entirely  manufactured 
in  this  colony,  which,  from  its  very  foundation,  then  numbered 
only  three  and  thirty  years !  Another  day  I  ascended  Mount 
Wellington ;  I  took  with  me  a  guide,  for  I  failed  in  a  first 
*  Physical  Description  of  New  South  Wales  and  Van  Diemeu's  Land,  p.  354 


1336.]  KIXG  GEORGE'S  SOUND.  449 

attempt,  from  the  thickness  of  the  wood.  Our  guide,  however, 
\vas  a.  stupid  fellow,  and  conducted  us  to  the  southern  and  damp 
side  of  the  mountain,  where  the  vegetation  was  very  luxuriant  • 
and  where  the  labour  of  the  ascent,  from  the  number  of  rotter, 
trunks,  was  almost  as  great  as  on  a  mountain  in  Tierra  del  Fuego 
or  in  Chiloe.  It  cost  us  five  and  a  half  hours  of  hard  climbing 
before  we  reached  the  summit.  In  many  parts  the  Eucalypti 
grew  to  a  great  size,  and  composed  a  noble  forest.  In  some 
of  the  dampest  ravines,  tree-ferns  flourished  in  an  extraordinary 
manner ;  I  saw  one  which  must  have  been  at  least  twenty  feet 
high  to  the  base  of  the  fronds,  and  was  in  girth  exactly  six  feet. 
The  fronds  forming  the  most  elegant  parasols,  produced  a  gloomy 
shade,  like  that  of  the  first  hour  of  night.  The  summit  of  the 
mountain  is  broad  and  flat,  and  is  composed  of  huge  angular 
masses  of  naked  greenstone.  Its  elevation  is  3100  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  The  day  was  splendidly  clear,  and  we  en- 
joyed a  most  extensive  view ;  to  the  north,  the  country  appeared 
a  mass  of  wooded  mountains,  of  about  the  same  height  with  that 
on  which  we  were  standing,  and  with  an  equally  tame  outline: 
to  the  south  the  broken  land  and  water,  forming  many  intricate 
bays,  was  mapped  with  clearness  before  us.  After  staying  some 
hours  on  the  summit,  we  found  a  better  way  to  descend,  but  did 
not  reach  the  Beagle  till  eight  o'clock,  after  a  severe  day's 
work. 

February  1th. — The  Beagle  sailed  from  Tasmania,  and,  on 
the  6th  of  the  ensuing  month,  reached  King  George's  Sound, 
situated  close  to  the  S.\V.  corner  of  Australia.  We  staid  there 
eight  days ;  and  we  did  not  during  our  voyage  pass  a  more  dull 
and  uninteresting  time.  The  country,  viewed  from  an  eminence, 
appears  a  woody  plain,  with  here  and  there  rounded  and  partly 
bare  hills  of  granite  protruding.  One  day  I  went  out  with  a 
party,  in  hopes  of  seeing1-  a  kangaroo  hunt,  and  walked  over  a  good 
many  miles  of  counuy.  Everywhere  we  found  the  soil  sandy, 
and  very  poor ;  it  supported  either  a  coarse  vegetation  of  thin, 
low  brushwood  and  wiry  grass,  or  a  forest  of  stunted  trees.  Th«? 
scenery  resembled  that  of  the  high  sandstone  platform  of  the  Blue 
Mountains  ;  the  Casuarina  (a  tree  somewhat  resembling  a  Scotch 
fir)  is,  however,  here  in  greater  number,  and  the  Eucalyptus  HI 
rather  less.  In  the  open  parts  there  were  many  grass-tree?,-- 


450  KING   GEORGE'S  SOUND.  [CHAP.  xix. 

a  plant  which,  in  appearance,  has  some  affinity  with  the  palm ; 
out,  instead  of  being  surmounted  by  a  crown  of  noble  fronds,  it 
can  boast  merely  of  a  tuft  of  very  coarse  grass-like  leaves.  The. 
general  bright  green  colour  of  the  brushwood  and  other  plants, 
viewed  from  a  distance,  seemed  to  promise  fertility.  A  single 
walk,  however,  was  enough  to  dispel  such  an  illusion ;  and  h*> 
who  thinks  with  me  will  never  wish  to  walk  again  in  so  unin- 
viting a  country. 

One  day  I  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  Bald  Head ;  the 
place  mentioned  by  so  many  navigators,  where  some  imagined 
that  they  saw  corals,  and  others  that  they  saw  petrified  trees, 
standing  in  the  position  in  which  they  had  grown.  According 
to  our  view,  the  beds  have  been  formed  by  the  wind  having 
heaped  up  fine  sand,  composed  of  minute  rounded  particles  of 
shells  and  corals,  during  which  process  branches  and  roots  of 
trees,  together  with  many  land-shells,  became  enclosed.  The 
whole  then  became  consolidated  by  the  percolation  of  calcareous 
matter  ;  and  the  cylindrical  cavities  left  by  the  decaying  of  the 
wood,  were  thus  also  filled  up  with  a  hard  pseudo-stalactitical 
stone.  The  weather  is  now  rearing  away  the  softer  parts,  and 
in  consequence  the  hard  cwt.s  of  the  roots  and  branches  of  the 
trees  project  above  the  surface,  and,  in  a  singularly  deceptive 
manner,  resemble  the  stumps  of  a  dead  thicket. 

A  large  tribe  of  natives,  called  the  White  Cockatoo  men, 
happened  to  pay  the  settlement  a  visit  while  we  were  there. 
These  men,  as  well  as  those  of  the  tribe  belonging  to  King 
George's  kSound,  being  tempted  by  the  offer  of  some  tubs  of  rice 
and  sugar,  were  persuaded  to  hold  a  "  corrobery,"  or  great 
dancing-party.  As  soon  as  it  grew  dark,  small  fires  were  lighted, 
and  the  men  commenced  their  toilet,  which  consisted  in  painting 
themselves  white  in  spots  and  lines.  As  soon  as  all  was  ready, 
large  fires  were  kept  blazing,  round  which  the  women  and  chil- 
dren were  collected  as  spectators ;  the  Cockatoo  and  King 
George's  men  formed  two  distinct  parties,  and  generally  danced 
in  answer  to  each  other.  The  dancing  consisted  in  their  running 
either  sideways  or  in  Indian  file  into  an  open  space,  and  stamp- 
ing the  ground  with  great  force  as  they  marched  together.  Their 
heavy  footsteps  were  accompanied  by  a  kind  of  grunt,  by  beating 
their  clubs  and  spears  together,  and  by  various  other  gestioula 


1836.]  CORROBERY,   OR  NATIVE   DANCE.  451 

tions,  such  as  extending  their  arms  and  wriggling  their  bodies. 
It  was  a  most  rude,  barbarous  scene,  and,  to  our  ideas,  without 
any  sort  of  meaning ;  but  we  observed  that  the  black  women 
and  children  watched  it  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  Perhaps 
these  dances  originally  represented  actions,  such  as  wars  and 
victories;  there  was  one  called  the  Emu  dance,  in  which  each 
man  extended  his  arm  in  a  bent  manner,  like  the  neck  of  that 
bird.  In  another  dance,  one  man  inytated  the  movements  of  a 
kangaroo  grazing  in  the  woods,  whilst  a  second  crawled  up,  and 
pretended  to  spear  him.  When  both  tribes  mingled  in  the  dance, 
the  ground  trembled  with  the  heaviness  of  their  steps,  and  the 
air  resounded  with  their  wild  cries.  Every  one  appeared  in  high 
spirits,  and  the  group  of  nearly  naked  figures,  viewed  by  the 
light  of  the  blazing  fires,  all  moving  in  hideous  harmony,  formed 
a  perfect  display  of  a  festival  amongst  the  lowest  barbarians.  In 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  we  have  beheld  many  curious  scenes  in  savage 
life,  but  never,  I  think,  one  where  the  natives  were  in  such  high 
spirits,  and  so  perfectly  at  their  ease.  After  the  dancing  was 
over,  the  whole  party  formed  a  great  circle  on  the  ground,  and 
the  boiled  rice  and  sugar  was  distributed,  to  the  delight  of  all. 

After  several  tedious  delays  from  clouded  weather,  on  the 
14th  of  March,  we  gladly  stood  out  of  King  George's  Sound  on 
our  course  to  Keeling  Island.  Farewell,  Australia!  you  are  a 
rising  child,  and  doubtless  some  day  will  reign  a  great  princess 
in  the  South  :  but  you  are  too  great  and  ambitious  for  affection, 
yet  not  great  enough  for  respect.  I  leave  your  shores  without 
sorrow  or  regret. 


452  KEELING   ISLAND.  [CHAP,  xx 


CHAPTER  XX. 


KEELING  ISLAND  : CORAL  FORMATIONS. 

Keeling  Island — Singular  appearance — Scanty  Flora — Transport  of  Seeds — 
Birds  and  Insects — Ebbing  and  flowing  Springs — Fields  of  dead  Coral 
— Stones  transported  in  the  roots  of  Trees— Great  Crab — Stinging  Corals 
— Coral-eating  Fish— Coral  Formations — Lagoon  Islands  or  Atolls — 
Depth  at  which  reef-building  Corals  can  live — Vast  Areas  interspersed 
with  low  Coral  Islands  -  Subsidence  of  their  foundations — Barrier  Reefs 
— Fringing  Reefs — Conversion  of  Fringing  Reefs  into  Barrier  Reefs,  and 
into  Atolls — Evidence  of  changes  in  Level — Breaches  in  Barrier  Reefs — 
Maldiva  Atolls  ;  their  peculiar  structure— Dead  and  submerged  Reefs- 
Areas  of  subsidence  and  elevation — Distribution  of  Volcancs — Subsidence 
slow,  and  vast  in  amount. 

April  1st. — WE  arrived  in  view  of  the  Keeling  or  Cocos  Islands, 
situated  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  about  six  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  coast  of  Sumatra.  This  is  one  of  the  lagoon- 
islands  (or  atolls)  of  coral  formation,  similar  to  those  in  the  Low 
Archipelago  which  we  passed  near.  When  the  ship  was  in  the 
channel  at  the  entrance,  Mr.  Liesk,  an  English  resident,  came 
off  in  his  boat.  Tte  history  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  place,  in  as 
few  words  as  possible,  is  as  follows.  About  nine  years  ago,  Mr 
Flare,  a  worthless  character,  brought  from  the  East  Indian  archi- 
pelago a  number  of  Malay  slaves,  which  now,  including  children, 
amount  to  more  than  a  hundred.  Shortly  afterwards,  Captain 
Ross,  who  had  before  visited  these  islands  in  his  merchant-ship, 
arrived  from  England,  bringing  with  him  his  family  and  goods 
for  settlement :  along  with  him  came  Mr.  Liesk,  who  had  been 
a  mate  in  his  vessel.  The  Malay  slaves  soon  ran  away  from  the 
islet  on  which  Mr.  Hare  was  settled,  and  joined  Captain  Ross's 
party.  Mr.  Hare  upon  this  was  ultimately  obliged  to  leave  the 
place. 

The  Malays  are  now  nominally  in  a  state  of  freedom,  and  cer- 
tainly are  so,  as  far  as  regards  their  personal  treatment;  but  in 
most  other  points  they  are  considered  as  slaves.  From  their  dis- 


1836.]  SINGULAR  APPEARANCE.  453 

contented  state,  from  the  repeated  removals  from  islet  to  islet, 
and  perhaps  also  from  a  little  mismanagement,  things  are  not  very 
prosperous.  The  island  has  no  domestic  quadruped,  excepting 
the  pig,  and  the  main  vegetable  production  is  the  cocoa-nut. 
The  whole  prosperity  of  the  place  depends  on  this  tree :  the  only 
exports  being  oil  from  the  nut,  and  the  nuts  themselves,  which 
are  taken  to  Singapore  and  Mauritius,  where  they  are  chiefly 
used,  when  grated,  in  making  curries.  On  the  cocoa-nut,  also, 
tiie  pigs,  which  are  loaded  with  fat,  almost  entirely  subsist,  as  do 
the  ducks  and  poultry.  Even  a  huge  land-crab  is  furnished  by 
nature  with  the  means  to  open  and  feed  on  this  most  useful  pro- 
duction. 

The  ring-formed  reef  of  the  lagoon-island  is  surmounted  in 
the  greater  part  of  its  length  by  linear  islets.  On  the  northern 
or  leeward  side,  there  is  an  opening  through  which  vessels  can 
pass  to  the  anchorage  within.  On  entering,  the  scene  was  very 
curious  and  rather  pretty ;  its  beauty,  however,  entirely  de- 
pended on  the  brilliancy  of  the  surrounding  colours.  The  shallow, 
clear,  and  still  water  of  the  lagoon,  resting  in  its  greater  part  on 
white  Sand,  is,  when  illumined  by  a  vertical  sun,  of  the  most 
vivid  green.  This  brilliant  expanse,  several  miles  in  width,  is 
on  all  sides  divided,  either  by  a  line  of  snow-white  breakers  from 
the  dark  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean,  or  from  the  blue  vault  of 
heaven  by  the  strips  of  land,  crowned  by  the  level  tops  of  the 
cocoa-nut  trees.  As  a  white  cloud  here  and  there  affords  a 
pleasing  contrast  with  the  azure  sky,  so  in  the  lagoon,  bands  of 
living  coral  darken  the  emerald  green  water. 

The  next  morning  after  anchoring,  I  went  on  shore  on  Direc- 
tion Island.  The  strip  of  dry  land  is  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  width  ;  on  the  lagoon  side  there  is  a  white  calcareous  beach,  the 
radiation  from  which  under  this  sultry  climate  was  very  oppres- 
sive;  and  on  the  outer  coast,  a  solid  broad  flat  of  coral-rock 
eerved  to  break  the  violence  of  the  open  sea.  Excepting  near 
the  lagoon,  where  there  is  some  sand,  the  land  is  entirely  com- 
posed of  rounded  fragments  of  coral.  In  such  a  loose,  dry,  stony 
soil,  the  climate  of  the  intertropical  regions  alone  could  produce 
a  vigorous  vegetation.  On  some  of  the  smaller  islets,  nothing 
could  be  more  elegant  than  the  manner  in  which  the  voung  and 
full-grown  cocoa-nut  trees,  without  destroying  each  other's  sym- 


454  KEELING   ISLAND.  [CHAP.  xx. 

metry,  were  mingled  into  one  wood.  A  beach  of  glittering  white 
sand  formed  a  border  to  these  fairy  spots. 

I  will  now  give  a  sketch  of  the  natural  history  of  these  islands, 
which,  from  its  very  paucity,  possesses  a  peculiar  interest.  The 
cocoa-nut  tree,  at  the  first  glance,  seems  to  compose  the  whole 
wood;  there  are,  however,  five  or  six  other  trees.  One  of 
these  grows  to  a  very  large  size,  but,  from  the  extreme  softness 
of  its  wood,  is  useless ;  another  sort  affords  excellent  timber  for 
ship-building1.  Besides  the  trees,  the  number  of  plants  is  exceed- 
ingly limited,  and  consists  of  insignificant  weeds.  In  my  collec- 
tion, which  includes,  1  believe,  nearly  the  perfect  Flora,  there 
are  twenty  species,  without  reckoning  a  moss,  lichen,  and  fungus. 
To  this  number  two  trees  must  be  added ;  one  of  which  was  not 
in  flower,  and  the  other  I  only  heard  of.  The  latter  is  a  solitary 
tree  of  its  kind,  and  grows  near  the  beach,  where,  without  doubt, 
the  one  seed  was  thrown  up  by  the  waves.  A  Guilandina  also 
grows  on  only  one  of  the  islets.  I  do  not  include  in  the  above 
list  the  sugar-cane,  banana,  some  other  vegetables,  fruit-trees, 
and  imported  grasses.  As  the  islands  consist  entirely  of  coral, 
and  at  one  time  must  have  existed  as  mere  water-washed  reefs, 
all  their  terrestrial  productions  must  have  been  transported  here 
by  the  waves  of  the  sea.  In  accordance  with  this,  the  Florula 
lias  quite  the  character  of  a  refuge  for  the  destitute :  Professor 
Hcnslow  informs  me  that  of  the  twenty  species  nineteen  be- 
long to  different  genera,  and  these  again  to  no  less  than  sixteen 
families  !* 

In  Holman's  |  Travels  an  account  is  given,  on  the  authority 
of  Mr.  A.  S.  Keating,  who  resided  twelve  months  on  these 
islands,  of  the  various  seeds  and  other  bodies  which  have  been 
known  to  have  been  washed  on  shore.  "  Seeds  and  plants  from 
Sumatra  and  Java  have  been  driven  up  by  the  surf  on  the  wind- 
ward  side  of  the  islands.  Among  them  have  been  found  the 
Kimiri,  native  of  Sumatra  and  the  peninsula  of  Malacca;  the 
cocoa-nut  of  Balci,  known  by  its  shape  and  size ;  the  Dadass, 
which  is  planted  by  the  Malays  with  the  pepper-vine,  the  latter 
intwining  round  its  trunk,  and  supporting  itself  by  the  pnckles 

*  These  plants  are  described  in  the  Annals  of  Nat  Hist.,  vol.  i.  \83% 
p  337. 

f  Holmairs  Travels,  vol.  iv.  p.  378. 


1836.]  SEEDS   TRANSPORTED   BY   THE   SEA.  455 

on  its  stem  ;  the  soap-tree  ;  the  castor-oil  plant ;  trunks  of  the 
sago  palm  ;  and  various  kinds  of  seeds  unknown  to  the  Malays 
settled  on  the  islands.  These  are  all  supposed  to  have  been 
driven  by  the  N.W.  monsoon  to  the  coast  of  New  Holland,  and 
thence  to  these  islands  by  the  S.E.  trade-wind.  Large  masses  of 
Java  teak  and  Yellow  wood  have  also  been  found,  besides  im- 
•nense  trees  of  red  and  white  cedar,  and  the  blue  gum-wood  of 
New  Holland,  in  a  perfectly  sound  condition.  All  the  hardy 
seeds,  such  as  creepers,  retain  their  germinating  power,  but  the 
softer  kinds,  among  which  is  the  mangostin,  are  destroyed  in  the 
passage.  Fishing-canoes,  apparently  from  Java,  have  at  times 
been  washed  on  shore."  It  is  interesting  thus  to  discover  how 
numerous  the  seeds  are,  which,  coming  from  several  countries, 
are  drifted  over  the  wide  ocean.  Professor  Henslow  tells  me,  he 
believes  that  nearly  all  the  plants  which  I  brought  from  these 
islands,  are  common  littoral  species  in  the  East  Indian  archipe- 
lago. From  the  direction,  however,  of  the  winds  and  currents, 
it  seems  scarcely  possible  that  they  could  have  come  here  in  a 
direct  line.  If,  as  suggested  with  much  probability  by  Mr. 
Keating,  they  were  first  carried  towards  the  coast  of  New  Hol- 
land, and  thence  drifted  back  together  with  the  productions  of 
that  country,  the  seeds,  before  germinating,  must  have  travelled 
between  1800  and  2400  miles. 

Chamisso,*  when  describing  the  Eadack  Archipelago,  situated 
in  the  western  part  of  the  Pacific,  states  that  "  the  sea  brings  to 
these  islands  the  seeds  and  fruits  of  many  trees,  most  of  which 
have  yot  not  grown  here.  The  greater  part  of  these  seeds  appear 
to  have  not  yet  lost  the  capability  of  growing."  It  is  also  said 
that  palms  and  bamboos  from  somewhere  in  the  torrid  zone,  and 
trunks  of  northern  firs,  are  washed  on  shore  :  these  firs  must  have 
come  from  an  immense  distance.  These  facts  are  highly  inte- 
resting. It  cannot  be  doubted  that  if  there  were  land-birds  to 
pick  up  the  seeds  when  first  cast  on  shore,  and  a  soil  better 
adapted  for  their  growth  than  the  loose  blocks  of  coral,  that  the 
most  isolated  of  the  la  goon- islands  would  in  time  possess  a  far 
more  abundant  Flora  than  they  now  have. 

The  list  of  land  animals  is  even  poorer  than  that  of  the  plants. 
Some  of  the  islets  are  inhabited  by  rats,  which  were  brought  in 
*  Kotzebue's  First  Voyage,  vol.  iii.,  p.  1 55. 


456  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP.  xx. 

a  ship  from  the  Mauritius,  wrecked  here.  These  rats  are  con- 
sidered by  Mr.  Waterhouse  as  identical  with  the  English  kind, 
but  they  are  smaller,  and  more  brightly  coloured.  There  are 
no  true  land-birds ;  for  a  snipe  and  a  rail  (Rallus  Phillippensis), 
though  living  entirely  in  the  dry  herbage,  belong  to  the  order  of 
Waders.  Birds  of  this  order  are  said  to  occur  on  several  of  the 
small  low  islands  in  the  Pacific.  At  Ascension,  where  there  is 
no  land  bird,  a  rail  (Porphyrio  simplex)  was  shot  near  the 
summit  of  the  mountain,  and  it  was  evidently  a  solitary  straggler. 
At  Tristan  d'Acunha,  where,  according  to  Carmichael,  there  are 
only  two  land  birds,  there  is  a  coot.  From  these  facts  I  believe 
that  the  waders,  after  the  innumerable  web-footed  species,  are 
generally  the  first  colonists  of  small  isolated  islands.  1  may  add, 
that  whenever  I  noticed  birds,  not  of  oceanic  species,  very  far 
out  at  sea,  they  always  belonged  to  this  order ;  and  hence  they 
would  naturally  become  the  earliest  colonists  of  any  remote  point 
of  land. 

Of  reptiles  I  saw  only  one  small  lizard.  Of  insects  I  took 
pains  to  collect  every  kind.  Exclusive  of  spiders,  which  were 
numerous,  there  were  thirteen  species.*  Of  these,  one  only  was 
a  beetle.  A  small  ant  swarmed  by  thousands  under  the  loose  dry 
blocks  of  coral,  and  was  the  only  true  insect  which  was  abun- 
dant. Although  the  productions  of  the  land  are  thus  scanty,  if 
we  look  to  the  waters  of  the  surrounding  sea,  the  number  of 
organic  beings  is  indeed  infinite.  Chamisso  has  described  f  the 
natural  history  of  a  lagoon-island  in  the  Radack  Archipelago ; 
and  it  is  remarkable  how  closely  its  inhabitants,  in  number  and 
kind,  resemble  those  of  Keeling  Island.  There  is  one  lizard 
and  two  waders,  namely,  a  snipe  and  curlew.  Of  plants  there 
are  nineteen  species,  including  a  fern  ;  and  some  of  these  are  the 
same  with  those  growing  here,  though  cm  a  spot  so  immensely 
remote,  and  in  a  different  ocean. 

The  long  strips  of  land,  forming  the  linear  islets,  have  been 
raised  only  to  that  .height  to  which  the  surf  can  throw  fragments 
of  coral,  and  the  wind  heap  up  calcareous  sand.  The  solid  flat 

*  The  thirteen  species  belong  to  the  following  orders : — In  the  Coleoptera, 
a.  minute  Elater ;  Orthoptera,  a  Gryllus  and  a  Blatta ;  Hemiptera,  one  spe- 
racs ;  Hamoptera,  two ;  Neuroptera,  a  Chrysopa ;  Hymenoptera,  two  ants : 
Lejridoptera  noctvrna,  a  Dioprca,  and  a  Pterophorus  (?) ;  Diptera,  two  specios 

t  Kotzebue's  First  Voyage,  vol.  iii.,  p.  222. 


1836.]  THE   SETTLEMENT.  457 

of  coral  rock  on  the  outsit ,«,  by  its  breadth,  breaks  the  first  vio- 
lence of  the  waves,  which  otherwise,  in  a  day,  would  sweep  away 
these  islets  and  all  their  productions.  The  ocean  and  the  land 
seem  here  struggling  for  mastery :  although  terra  firma  has  ob- 
tained a  footing,  the  denizens  of  the  water  think  their  claim  at 
least  equally  good.  In  every  part  one  meets  hermit  crabs  of 
more  than  one  species,*  carrying  on  their  backs  the  shells  which 
tney  have  stolen  from  the  neighbouring  beach.  Overhead,  nume- 
rous gannets,  frigate-birds,  and  terns,  rest  on  the  trees;  and 
the  wood,  from  the  many  nests  and  from  the  smell  of  the  atmos- 
phere, might  be  called  a  sea-rookery.  The  gannets,  sitting  on 
their  rude  nests,  gaze  at  one  with  a  stupid  yet  angry  air.  The 
noddies,  as  their  name  expresses,  are  silly  little  creatures.  But 
there  is  one  charming  bird  :  it  is  a  small  snow-white  tern,  which 
smoothly  hovers  at  the  distance  of  a  few  feet  above  one's  head, 
its  large  black  eye  scanning,  with  quiet  curiosity,  your  expres- 
sion. Little  imagination  is  required  to  fancy  that  so  light  and 
delicate  a  body  must  be  tenanted  by  some  wandering  fairy 
spirit. 

Sunday,  April  3rd. — After  service  I  accompanied  Captain 
Fitfc  Hoy  to  the  settlement,  situated  at  the  distance  of  some  miles, 
on  the  point  of  an  islet  thickly  covered  with  tall  cocoa-nut  trees. 
Captain  Ross  and  Mr.  Liesk  live  in  a  large  barn-like  house 
open  at  both  ends,  and  lined  with  mats  made  of  woven  bark. 
The  houses  of  the  Malays  are  arranged  along  the  shore  of  the 
lagoon.  The  whole  place  had  rather  a  desolate  aspect,  for  there 
were  no  gardens  to  show  the  signs  of  care  and  cultivation.  The 
natives  belong  to  different  islands  in  the  East  Indian  archipelago, 
but  all  speak  the  same  language:  we  saw  the  inhabitants  of 
Borneo,  Celebes,  Java,  and  Sumatra.  In  colour  they  resemble 
the  Tahitians,  from  whom  they  do  not  widely  differ  in  features. 
Some  of  the  women,  however,  show  a  good  deal  of  the  Chinese 
character.  I  liked  both  their  general  expressions  and  the  sound 
of  their  voices.  They  appeared  poor,  and  their  houses  were  des- 
titute of  furniture ;  but  it  was  evident,  from  the  plumpness  of 

*  The  large  claws  or  pincers  of  some  of  these  crabs  are  most  beautifully 
adapted,  when  drawn  back,  to  form  an  operculuin  to  the  shell,  nearly  as 
perfect  as  the  proper  one  originally  belonging  to  the  molluscous  animal.  ^  I 
was  assured,  and  as  far  as  my  observation  went  I  found  it  so,  that  certair 
species  of  the  hermit-crabs  always  use  certain  species  of  shells. 


458  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP.  xx. 

the  little  children,  that  cocoa-nuts  and  turtle  afford  no  bud  sus- 
tenance. 

On  this  island  the  wells  are  situated,  from  which  ships  obtain 
water.  At  first  sight  it  appears  not  a  little  remarkable  that  the 
fresh  water  should  regularly  ebb  and  flow  with  the  tides  ;  and  it 
has  even  been  imagined,  that  sand  has  the  power  of  filtering  the 
salt  from  the  sea-water.  These  ebbing  wells  are  common  on 
some  of  the  low  islands  in  the  West  Indies.  The  compressed 
sand,  or  porous  coral  rock,  is  permeated  like  a  sponge  with  the 
salt  water ;  but  the  rain  which  falls  on  the  surface  must  sink  to 
the  level  of  the  surrounding  sea,  and  must  accumulate  there,  dis- 
placing an  equal  bulk  of  the  salt  water.  As  the  water  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  great  sponge-like  coral  mass  rises  and  falls 
with  the  tides,  so  will  the  water  near  the  surface ;  and  this  will 
keep  fresh,  if  the  mass  be  sufficiently  compact  to  prevent  much 
mechanical  admixture  ;  but  where  the  land  consists  of  great  loose 
blocks  of  coral  with  open  interstices,  if  a  well  be  dug,  the  wal^r, 
as  I  have  seen,  is  brackish. 

After  dinner  we  stayed  to  see  a  carious  half  superstitious  scene 
acted  by  the  Malay  women.  A  large  wooden  spoon  dressed  in 
garments,  and  which  had  been  carried  to  the  grave  of  a  dead 
man,  they  pretend  becomes  inspired  at  the  full  of  the  moon,  and 
will  dance  and  jump  about.  After  the  proper  preparations,  the 
spoon,  held  by  two  women,  became  convulsed,  and  danced  in 
good  time  to  the  song  of  the  surrounding  children  and  women. 
It  was  a  most  foolish  spectacle ;  but  Mr.  Liesk  maintained  that 
many  of  the  Malays  believed  in  its  spiritual  movements.  The 
dance  did  not  commence  till  the  moon  had  risen,  and  it  was  well 
worth  remaining  to  behold  her  bright  orb  so  quietly  shining 
through  the  long  arms  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  as  they  waved  in 
the  evening  breeze.  These  scenes  of  the  tropics  are  in  them- 
selves so  delicious,  that  they  almost  equal  those  dearer  ones  at 
Lome,  to  which  we  are  bound  by  each  best  feeling  of  the  mind. 

The  next  day  I  employed  myself  in  examining  the  very  inte- 
resting, yet  simple  structure  and  origin  of  these  islands.  The 
water  being  unusually  smooth,  I  waded  over  the  outer  flat  of  dead 
rock  as  far  as  the  living  mounds  of  coral,  on  which  the  swell  oi 
the  open  soa  breaks.  In  some  of  the  gullies  and  hollows  there 
tt-ere  beautiful  green  and  other  coloured  fishes,  and  the  forms 


1836.]  TURTLE  CHASE. 


and  tints  of  many  of  the  zoophytes  were  admirable.  It  is  ex- 
cusable to  grow  enthusiastic  over  the  infinite  numbers  of  organic 
beings  with  which  the  sea  of  the  tropics,  so  prodigal  of  life, 
teems ;  yet  I  must  confess  I  think  those  naturalists  who  have 
described,  in  well-known  words,  the  submarine  grottoes  decked 
with  a  thousand  beauties,  have  indulged  in  rather  exuberant 
language. 

April  6th. — I  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  an  island  at 
the  head  of  the  lagoon :  the  channel  was  exceedingly  intricate, 
winding  through  fields  of  delicately  branched  corals.  We  saw 
several  turtle,  and  two  boats  were  then  employed  in  catching 
them.  The  water  was  so  clear  and  shallow,  that  although  at 
first  a  turtle  quickly  dives  out  of  sight,  yet  in  a  canoe  or  boat 
under  sail,  the  pursuers  after  no  very  long  chase  come  up  to  it. 
A  man  standing  ready  in  the  bow,  at  this  moment  dashes  through 
the  water  upon  the  turtle's  back  ;  then  clinging  with  both  hands 
by  the  shell  of  its  neck,  he  is  carried  away  till  the  animal  be- 
comes exhausted  and  is  secured.  It  was  quite  an  interesting 
chase  to  see  the  two  boats  thus  doubling  about,  and  the  men 
dashing  head  foremost  into  the  water  trying  to  seize  their  prey. 
Captain  Moresby  informs  me  that  in  the  Chagos  archipelago  in 
this  same  ocean,  the  natives,  by  a  horrible  process,  take  the  shell 
from  the  back  of  the  living  turtle.  "  It  is  covered  with  burning 
charcoal,  which  causes  the  outer  shell  to  curl  upwards ;  it  is 
then  forced  off  with  a  knife,  and  before  it  becomes  cold  flattened 
between  boards.  After  this  barbarous  process  the  animal  is 
suffered  to  regain  its  native  element,  where,  after  a  certain  time, 
a  new  shell  is  formed  ;  it  is,  however,  too  thin  to  be  of  any  ser- 
vice, and  the  animal  always  appears  languishing  and  sickly." 

When  we  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  lagoon,  we  crossed  a 
narrow  islet,  and  found  a  great  surf  breaking  on  the  windward 
coast.  I  can  hardly  explain  the  reason,  but  there  is  to  my  mind 
much  grandeur  in  the  view  of  the  outer  shores  of  these  lagoon- 
islands.  There  is  a  simplicity  in  the  barrier-like  beach,  the 
margin  of  green  bushes  and  tall  cocoa-nuts,  the  solid  flat  of  dead 
coral-rock,  strewed  here  and  there  with  great  loose  fragments, 
and  the  line  of  furious  breakers,  all  rounding  away  towards 
either  hand.  The  ocean  throwing  its  waters  over  the  broad  reef 
appears  an  invincible,  all-powerful  enemy ;  yet  we  see  it  resisted 


460  KEELING   ISLAND.  [CHAP.  sx. 

ind  even  conquered,  by  means  which  at  first  seem  most  weaR  and 
inefficient  It  is  not  that  the  ocean  spares  the  rock  of  coral ; 
the  great  fragments  scattered  over  the  reef,  and  heaped  on  the 
beach,  whence  the  tall  cocoa-nut  springs,  plainly  bespeak  the 
unrelenting  power  of  the  waves.  Nor  are  any  periods  of  repose 
granted.  The  long  swell  caused  by  the  gentle  but  steady  action 
of  the  trade-wind,  always  blowing  in  one  direction  over  a  wide 
area,  causes  breakers,  almost  equalling  in  force  those  during  a 
gale  of  wind  in  the  temperate  regions,  and  which  never  cease  to 
rage.  It  is  impossible  to  behold  these  waves  without  feeling  a 
conviction  that  an  island,  though  built  of  the  hardest  rock,  let  it 
be  porphyry,  granite,  or  quartz,  would  ultimately  yield  and  be 
demolished  by  such  an  irresistible  power.  Yet  these  low,  insig- 
nificant coral-islets  stand  and  are  victorious :  for  here  another 
power,  as  an  antagonist,  takes  part  in  the  contest.  The  organic 
forces  separate  the  atoms  of  carbonate  of  lime,  one  by  one,  from 
the  foaming  breakers,  and  unite  them  into  a  symmetrical  struc- 
ture. Let  the  hurricane  tear  up  its  thousand  huge  fragments ; 
yet  what  will  that  tell  against  the  accumulated  labour  of  myriads 
of  architects  at  work  night  and  day,  month  after  month  ?  Tims 
do  we  see  the  soft  and  gelatinous  body  of  a  polypus,  through  the 
agency  of  the  vital  laws,  conquering  the  great  mechanical  power 
of  the  waves  of  an  ocean  which  neither  the  art  of  man  nor  the 
inanimate  works  of  nature  could  successfully  resist. 

We  did  not  return  on  board  till  late  in  the  evening,  for  we 
staid  a  long  time  in  the  lagoon,  examining  the  fields  of  coral  and 
the  gigantic  shells  of  the  chama,  into  which,  if  a  man  were  to  put 
his  hand,  he  would  not,  as  long  as  the  animal  lived,  be  able  to 
withdraw  it.  Near  the  head  of  the  lagoon,  I  was  much  surprised 
to  find  a  wide  area,  considerably  more  than  a  mile  square,  covered 
with  a  forest  of  delicately  branching  corals,  which,  though  stand- 
ing upright,  were  all  dead  and  rotten.  %At  first  I  was  quite  at  a 
loss  to  understand  the  cause  ;  afterwards  it  occurred  to  me  that 
it  was  owing  to  the  following  rather  curious  combination  of  cir- 
cumstances. It  should,  however,  first  be  stated,  that  corals  are 
not  able  to  survive  even  a  short  exposure  in  the  air  to  the  sun's 
rays,  so  that  their  upward  limit  of  growth  is  determined  by  that 
of  lowest  water  at  spring  tides.  It  appears,  from  some  old  charts, 
tliat  the  long  island  to  windward  was  formerly  separated  by  widt 


1836.]  STONES   TRANSPORTED   BY   TREES.  461 

channels  into  several  islets  ;  this  fact  is  likewise  indicated  by  the 
trees  being  younger  on  these  portions.  Under  the  former  con- 
dition of  the  reef,  a  strong  breeze,  by  throwing  more  water  over 
the  barrier,  would  tend  to  raise  the  level  of  the  lagoon.  Now 
it  acts  in  a  directly  contrary  manner ;  for  the  water  within  the 
lagoon  not  only  is  not  increased  by  currents  from  the  outside, 
but  is  itself  blown  outwards  by  the  force  of  the  wind.  Hence 
it  is  observed,  that  the  tide  near  the  head  of  the  lagoon  does  not 
rise  so  high  during  a  strong  breeze  as  it  does  when  it  is  calm. 
This  difference  of  level,  although  no  doubt  very  small,  has,  I 
believe,  caused  the  death  of  those  coral-groves,  which  under  the 
former  and  more  open  condition  of  the  outer  reef  had  attained 
the  utmost  possible  limit  of  upward  growth. 

A  few  miles  north  of  Keeling  there  is  another  small  atoll, 
the  lagoon  of  which  is  nearly  filled  up  with  coral-mud.  Captain 
Ross  found  embedded  in  the  conglomerate  on  the  outer  coast,  a  well- 
rounded  fragment  of  greenstone,  rather  larger  than  a  man's  head  : 
he  and  the  men  with  him  were  so  much  surprised  at  this,  that 
they  brought  it  away  and  preserved  it  as  a  curiosity.  The  oc- 
currence of  this  one  stone,  where  every  other  particle  of  matter 
is  calcareous,  certainly  is  very  puzzling.  The  island  has  scarcely 
ever  been  visited,  nor  is  it  probable  that  a  ship  had  been  wrecked 
there.  From  the  absence  of  any  better  explanation,  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  must  have  come  entangled  in  the  roots 
of  some  large  tree :  when,  however,  I  considered  the  great 
distance  from  the  nearest  land,  the  combination  of  chances  against 
a  stone  thus  being  entangled,  the  tree  washed  into  the  sea,  floated 
so  far,  then  landed  safely,  and  the  stone  finally  so  embedded  as 
to  allow  of  its  discovery,  I  was  almost  afraid  of  imagining  a 
means  of  transport  apparently  so  improbable.  It  was  therefore 
with  great  interest  that  I  found  Chamisso,  the  justly  distin- 
guished naturalist  who  accompanied  Kotzebue,  stating  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Radack  archipelago,  a  group  of  lagoon-islands 
in  the  midst  of  the  Pacific,  obtained  stones  for  sharpening  their 
instruments  by  searching  the  roots  of  trees  which  are  cast  upon 
the  beach.  It  will  be  evident  that  this  must  have  happened 
several  times,  since  laws  have  been  established  that  such  stones 
belong  to  the  chief,  and  a  punishment  is  inflicted  on  any  one 
who  attempts  tc  steal  them.  When  the  isolated  position  of  these 


462  KEELING   ISLAND.  [CHAP.  xx. 

small  islands  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  ocean — their  great  distance 
from  any  land  excepting  that  of  coral  formation,  attested  by  the 
value  which  the  inhabitants,  who  are  such  bold  navigators,  attach 
to  a  stone  of  any  kind,*— and  the  slowness  of  the  currents  of 
the  open  sea,  are  all  considered,  the  occurrence  of  pebbles  thus 
transported  does  appear  wonderful.  Stones  may  often  be  thus 
carried  ;  and  if  the  island  on  which  they  are  stranded  is  con- 
structed of  any  other  substance  besides  coral,  they  would  scarcely 
attract  attention,  and  their  origin  at  least  would  never  be  guessed. 
Moreover,  this  agency  may  long  escape  discovery  from  the  pro- 
bability of  trees,  especially  those  loaded  with  stones,  floating 
beneath  the  surface.  In  the  channels  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  large 
quantities  of  drift  timber  are  cast  upon  the  beach,  yet  it  is  ex- 
tremely rare  to  meet  a  tree  swimming  on  the  water.  These 
facts  may  possibly  throw  light  on  single  stones,  whether  angular 
or  rounded,  occasionally  found  embedded  in  fine  sedimentary 
masses. 

During  another  day  I  visited  West  Islet,  on  which  the  vege- 
tation was  perhaps  more  luxuriant  than  on  any  other.  The  co- 
coa-nut trees  generally  grow  separate,  but  here  the  young  ones 
flourished  beneath  their  tall  parents,  and  formed  with  their  long 
and  curved  fronds  the  most  shady  arbours.  Those  alone  who 
have  tried  it,  know  how  delicious  it  is  to  be  seated  in  such  shade, 
and  drink  the  cool  pleasant  fluid  of  the  cocoa-nut.  In  this 
island  there  is  a  large  bay-like  space,  composed  of  the  finest 
white  sand  :  it  is  quite  level,  and  is  only  covered  by  the  tide  at 
high  water ;  from  this  large  bay  smaller  creeks  penetrate  the 
surrounding  woods.  To  see  a  field  of  glittering  white  sand, 
representing  water,  with  the  cocoa-nut  trees  extending  their  tall 
and  waving  trunks  round  the  margin,  formed  a  singular  and  very 
pretty  view. 

I  have  before  alluded  to  a  crab  which  lives  on  the  cocoa-nuts  : 
it  is  very  common  on  all  parts  of  the  dry  land,  and  grows  to  a 
monstrous  size :  it  is  closely  allied  or  identical  with  the  Birgos 
latro.  The  front  pair  of  legs  terminate  in  very  strong  and 
heavy  pincers,  and  the  last  pair  are  fitted  with  others  weaker  and 
much  narrower.  It  would  at  first  be  thought  quite  impossible 

*  Some  natives  carried  by  Kotzebue  to  Kamtschatka  collected  stones  to 
take  back  to  their  country. 


1836.]  GREAT   CRAB.  463 

for  a  crab  to  open  a  strong  cocoa-nut  covered  with  the  husk  ; 
but  Mr.  Liesk  assures  me  that  he  has  repeatedly  seen  this 
effected.  The  crab  begins  by  tearing  the  husk,  fibre  by  fibre, 
and  always  from  that  end  under  which  the  three  eye-holes  are 
situated  ;  when  this  is  completed,  the  crab  commences  hammer* 
ing  with  its  heavy  claws  on  one  of  the  eye-holes  till  an  opening 
is  made.  Then  turning  round  its  body,  by  the  aid  of  its  pos- 
terior and  narrow  pair  of  pincers,  it  extracts  the  white  albu- 
minous substance.  I  think  this  is  as  curious  a  case  of  instinct 
as  ever  I  heard  of,  and  likewise  of  adaptation  in  structure  be- 
tween two  objects  apparently  so  remote  from  each  other  in  the 
scheme  of  nature,  as  a  crab  and  a  cocoa-nut  tree.  The  Birgos 
is  diurnal  in  its  habits  ;  but  every  night  it  is  said  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  sea,  no  doubt  for  the  purpose  of  moistening  its  branchiae. 
The  young  are  likewise  hatched,  and  live  for  some  time,  on  the 
coast.  These  crabs  inhabit  deep  burrows,  which  they  hollow 
out  beneath  the  roots  of  trees ;  and  where  they  accumulate  sur- 
prising quantities  of  the  picked  fibres  of  the  cocoa-nut  husk,  on 
which  they  rest  as  on  a  bed.  The  Malays  sometimes  take  ad- 
vantage of  this,  and  collect  the  fibrous  mass  to  use  as  junk. 
These  crabs  are  very  good  to  eat ;  moreover,  under  the  tail  of  the 
larger  ones  there  is  a  great  mass  of  fat,  which,  when  melted,  some- 
times yields  as  much  as  a  quart  bottle  full  of  limpid  oil.  It  has 
been  stated  by  some  authors  that  the  Birgos  crawls  up  the 
cocoa-nut  trees  for  the  purpose  of  stealing  the  nuts :  I  very 
much  doubt  the  possibility  of  this ;  but  with  the  Pandanus*  the 
task  would  be  very  much  easier.  I  was  told  by  Mr.  Liesk  that 
on  these  islands  the  Birgos  lives  only  on  the  nuts  which  have 
fallen  to  the  ground. 

Captain  Moresby  informs  me  that  this  crab  inhabits  the 
Cliagos  and  Seychellc  groups,  but  not  the  neighbouring  Maldiva 
archipelago.  It  formerly  abounded  at  Mauritius,  but  only  a 
few  small  ones  are  now  found  there.  In  the  Pacific,  this  species, 
or  one  with  closely  allied  habits,  is  saidf  to  inhabit  a  single 
coral  island,  north  of  the  Society  group.  To  show  the  wonder- 
ful strength  of  the  front  pair  of  pincers,  I  may  mention,  that 
Captain  Moresby  confined  one  in  a  strong  tin-box,  which  had 

*  See  Proceedings  of  Zoological  Society,  1832,  p.  17 
t  Tverman  and  Beiiiiett.    Voyage,  &c.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  33. 


464  KEELING   ISLAND.  [CHAP.  xx. 

held  biscuits,  the  lid  being  secured  with  wire;  but  the  crab 
turned  down  the  edges  and  escaped.  In  turning  down  the  edges, 
it  actually  punched  many  small  holes  quite  through  the  tin  ! 

I  was  a  good  deal  surprised  by  finding  two  species  of  coral  of 
the  genus  Millepora  (M.  complanata  and  alcicornis),  possessed 
of  the  power  of  stinging.  The  stony  branches  or  plates,  when 
taken  fresh  from  the  water,  have  a  harsh  feel  and  are  not  slimy, 
although  possessing  a  strong  and  disagreeable  smell.  The  sting- 
ing property  seems  to  vary  in  different  specimens :  when  a  piece 
was  pressed  or  rubbed  on  the  tender  skin  of  the  face  or  arm,  a 
pricking  sensation  was  usually  caused,  which  came  on  after  the 
interval  of  a  second,  and  lasted  only  for  a  few  minutes.  One 
day,  however,  by  merely  touching  my  face  with  one  of  the 
branches,  pain  was  instantaneously  caused  ;  it  increased  as  usual 
after  a  few  seconds,  and  remaining  sharp  for  some  minutes,  was 
perceptible  for  half  an  hour  afterwards.  The  sensation  was  as 
bad  as  that  from  a  nettle,  but  more  like  that  caused  by  the  Phy- 
salia  or  Portuguese  man-of-war.  Little  red  spots  were  produced 
on  the  tender  skin  of  the  arm,  which  appeared  as  if  they  would 
have  formed  watery  pustules,  but  did  not.  M.  Quoy  mentions 
this  case  of  the  Millepora  ;  and  I  have  heard  of  stinging  corals 
in  the  West  Indies.  Many  marine  animals  seem  to  have  this 
power  of  stinging :  besides  the  Portuguese  man-of-war,  many 
jelly-fish,  and  the  Aplysia  or  sea-slug  of  the  Cape  de  Verd 
Islands,  it  is  stated  in  the  voyage  of  the  Astrolabe,  that  an  Acti- 
nia or  sea-anemone,  as  well  as  a  flexible  coralline  allied  to  Ser- 
tularia,  both  possess  this  means  of  offence  or  defence.  In  the 
East  Indian  sea,  a  stinging  sea-weed  is  said  to  be  found. 

Two  species  of  fish,  of  the  genus  Scarus,  which  are  common 
here,  exclusively  feed  on  coral :  both  are  coloured  of  a  splendid 
bluish-green,  one  living  invariably  in  the  lagoon,  and  the  other 
amongst  the  outer  breakers.  Mr.  Liesk  assured  us,  that  he  had 
repeatedly  seen  whole  shoals  grazing  with  their  strong  bony  jaws 
on  the  tops  of  the  coral  branches :  I  opened  the  intestines  01 
several,  and  found  them  distended  with  yellowish  calcareous 
sandy  mud.  The  slimy  disgusting  Holuthuriae  (allied  to  our 
Btar-fish),  which  the  Chinese  gourmands  are  so  fond  of,  also  feed 
largely,  as  I  am  informed  by  Dr.  Allan,  on  corals ;  and  the  bony 
apparatus  within  their  bodies  seems  well  adapted  for  this  end 


1836.]  CORAL  FORMATIONS.  465 

These  holuthuriae,  the  fish,  the  numerous  burrowing  shells,  and 
nereidous  worms,  which  perforate  every  block  of  dead  coral, 
must  be  very  efficient  agents  in  producing  the  fine  white  mud 
which  lies  at  the  bottom  and  on  the  shores  of  the  lagoon.  A 
portion,  however,  of  this  mud,  which  when  wet  strikingly  re- 
sembled pounded  chalk,  was  found  by  Professor  Ehrenberg  «x> 
be  partly  composed  of  siliceous-shielded  infusoria. 

April  12th. — In  the  morning  we  stood  out  of  the  lagoon  on 
our  passage  to  the  Isle  of  France.  I  am  glad  we  ha^e  visited 
these  islands :  such  formations  surely  rank  high  amongst  tLe 
wonderful  objects  of  this  world.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  found  no 
bottom  with  a  line  7200  feet  in  length,  at  the  distance  of  only 
2200  yards  from  the  shore ;  hence  this  island  forms  a  lofty  sub- 
marine mountain,  with  sides  steeper  even  than  those  of  the  most 
abrupt  volcanic  cone.  The  saucer-shaped  summit  is  nearly  ten 
miles  across  ;  and  every  single  atom,*  from  the  least  particle  to 
the  largest  fragment  of  rock,  in  this  great  pile,  which  however 
is  small  compared  with  very  many  other  lagoon-islands,  bears 
the  stamp  of  having  been  subjected  to  organic  arrangement.  We 
feel  surprise  when  travellers  tell  us  of  the  vast  dimensions  ot 
the  Pyramids  and  other  great  ruins,  but  how  utterly  insignificant 
are  the  greatest  of  these,  when  compared  to  these  mountains  of 
stone  accumulated  by  the  agency  of  various  minute  and  tender 
animals !  This  is  a  wonder  which  does  not  at  first  strike  the 
eye  of  the  body,  but,  after  reflection,  the  eye  of  reason. 

I  will  now  give  a  very  brief  account  of  the  three  great  classes 
of  coral-reefs  ;  namely,  Atolls,  Barrier,  and  Fringing-reefs,  and 
will  explain  my  views  f  on  their  formation.  Almost  every 
voyager  who  has  crossed  the  Pacific  has  expressed  his  unbounded 
astonishment  at  the  lagoon-islands,  or  as  I  shall  for  the  future 
call  them  by  their  Indian  name  of  atolls,  and  has  attempted 
some  explanation.  Even  as  long  ago  as  the  year  1605,  Pyrard 

*  I  exclude,  of  course,  some  soil  which  has  been  imported  here  in  vessels 
from  Malacca  and  Java,  and  likewise  some  small  fragments  of  pumice, 
drifted  here  by  the  waves.  The  one  block  of  green-stone,  moreover,  on  the 
northern  island  must  be  excepted. 

t  These  were  first  read  before  the  Geological  Society  in  May,  1837, 
and  have  since  been  developed  in  a  separate  volume  on  tLc  'Structure  atd 
Distribution  of  Coral  Reefs.' 


466 


LAGOON-ISLANDS, 


[CHAP.  xx. 


de  Laval  well  exclaimed,  "  C'est  une  meruille  de  voir  chacun 
de  ces  atollons,  enuironne  d'un  grand  bane  de  pierre  tout  autour, 
n'y  avsjit  point  d'artifice  humain."  The  accompanying  sketch 
of  Whitsunday  Island  in  the  Pacific,  copied  from  Capt.  Beechey'g 
admirable  Voyage,  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  singular  aspect 
of  an  atoll :  it  is  one  of  the  smallest  size,  and  has  its  narrow 
islets  united  together  iu  a  ring.  The  immensity  of  the  ocean. 


the  fury  of  the  breakers,  contrasted  with  the  lowness  of  the  land 
and  the  smoothness  of  the  bright  green  water  within  the  lagoon, 
can  hardly  be  imagined  without  having  been  seen. 

The  earlier  voyagers  fancied  that  the  coral-building  animals 
instinctively  built  up  their  great  circles  to  afford  themselves  pro- 
tection in  the  inner  parts ;  but  so  far  is  this  from  the  truth,  that 
those  massive  kinds,  to  whose  growth  on  the  exposed  outer  shores 
the  very  existence  of  the  reef  depends,  cannot  live  within  the 
lagoon,  where  other  delicately-branching  kinds  flourish.  More- 
over, on  this  view,  many  species  of  distinct  genera  and  families 
are  supposed  to  combine  for  one  end  ;  and  of  such  a  combination, 
not  a  single  instance  can  be  found  in  the  whole  of  nature.  The 
theory  that  has  been  most  generally  received  is,  that  atolls  are 
based  on  submarine  craters ;  but  when  we  consider  the  form  and 
size  of  some,  the  number,  proximity,  and  relative  positions  of 
others,  this  idea  loses  its  plausible  character :  thus,  Suadiva  atoll 
is  44  geographical  miles  in  diameter  in  one  line,  by  34  miles  in 
another  line ;  Rimsky  is  54  by  20  miles  across,  and  it  has  a 
strangely  sinuous  margin  ;  Bow  atoll  is  30  miles  long,  and  on  an 
average  only  6  in  width  ;  Menchicoff  atoll  consists  of  three  atolls 
united  or  tied  together  This  theory,  moreover,  is  totally  inap 


1836.]  OR   ATOLLS. 


46V 


phcable  to  the  northern  Maldiva  atolls  in  the  Indian  Ocean 
(one  of  which  is  88  miles  in  length,  and  between  10  and  20  in 
breadth),  for  they  are  not  bounded  like  ordinary  atolls  by  narrow 
reefs,  but  by  a  vast  number  of  separate  little  atolls  ;  other  little 
atolls  rising  out  of  the  great  central  lagoon-like  spaces.  A  third 
and  better  theory  was  advanced  by  Chamisso,  who  thought  that 
from  the  corals  growing  more  vigorously  where  exposed  to  the 
open  sea.  as  undoubtedly  is  the  case,  the  outer  edges  would  grow 
.  up  from  the  general  foundation  before  any  other  part,  and  that 
this  would  account  for  the  ring  or  cup-shaped  structure.  But 
we  shall  immediately  see,  that  in  this,  as  well  as  in  the  crater- 
theory,  a  most  important  consideration  has  been  overlooked, 
namely,  on  what  have  the  reef  building  corals,  which  cannot  live 
at  a  great  depth,  based  their  massive  structures  ? 

Numerous  soundings  were  carefully  taken  by  Captain  Fitz 
Roy  on  the  steep  outside  of  Keeling  atoll,  and  it  was  found  that 
within  ten  fathoms,  the  prepared  tallow  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lead,  invariably  came  up  marked  with  the  impressions  of  living 
corals,  but  as  perfectly  clean  as  if  it  had  been  dropped  on  a 
carpet  of  turf ;  as  the  depth  increased,  the  impressions  became 
less  numerous,  but  the  adhering  particles  of  sand  more  and  more 
numerous,  until  at  last  it  was  evident  that  the  bottom  consisted 
of  a  smooth  sandy  layer :  to  carry  on  the  analogy  of  the  turf, 
the  blades  of  grass  grew  thinner  and  thinner,  till  at  last  the  soil 
was  so  sterile,  that  nothing  sprang  from  it.  From  these  obser- 
vations, confirmed  by  many  others,  it  may  be  safely  inferred  that 
the  utmost  depth  at  which  corals  can  construct  reefs  is  between 
20  and  30  fathoms.  Now  there  are  enormous  areas  in  the 
Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans,  in  which  every  single  island  is 
of  coral  formation,  and  is  raised  only  to  that  height  to  which 
the  waves  can  throw  up  fragments,  and  the  winds  pile  up  sand 
Thus  the  Kadack  group  of  atolls  is  an  irregular  square,  520 
miles  long  and  240  broad  ;  the  Low  archipelago  is  elliptic-formed. 
840  miles  in  its  longer,  and  420  in  its  shorter  axis :  there  are 
other  small  groups  and  single  low  islands  between  these  two 
archipelagoes,  making  a  linear  space  of  ocean  actually  more  than 
4000  miles  in  length,  in  which  not  one  single  island  rises  above 
the  specified  height.  Again,  in  the  Indian  Ocean  there  is  a 
space  of  ocean  1500  miles  in  lengtn,  including  three  archi- 


468  AREAS   OF   SUBSIDENCE.  [CHAP.  xx. 


pelagoes,  in  which  every  island  is  low  and  of  coral  formation. 
From  the  fact  of  the  reef-building  corals  not  living  at  great 
depths,  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  throughout  these  vast  areas, 
wherever  there  is  now  an  atoll,  a  foundation  must  have  ori- 
ginally existed  within  a  depth  of  from  20  to  30  fathoms  from  the 
surface.  It  is  improbable  in  the  highest  degree  that  broad, 
lofty,  isolated,  steep-sided  banks  of  sediment,  arranged  in  groups 
and  lines  hundreds  of  leagues  in  length,  could  have  been  depo- 
sited in  the  central  and  profoundest  parts  of  the  Pacific  and. 
Indian  Oceans,  at  an  immense  distance  from  any  continent,  and 
where  the  water  is  perfectly  limpid.  It  is  equally  improbable 
that  the  elevatory  forces  should  have  uplifted  t.h mahout  the 
above  vast  areas,  innumerable  great  rocky  banks  within  20  to  30 
fathoms,  or  120  to  180  feet,  of  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  not 
one  single  point  above  that  level  ;  for  where  on  the  whole  face 
of  the  globe  can  we  find  a  single  chain  of  mountains,  even  a  few 
hundred  miles  in  length,  with  their  many  summits  rising  within 
a  few  feet  of  a  given  level,  and  not  one  pinnacle  above  it?  If 
then  the  foundations,  whence  the  atoll-building  corals  sprang, 
were  not  formed  of  sediment,  and  if  they  were  not  lifted  up  to 
the  required  level,  they  must  of  necessity  have  subsided  into  it ; 
and  this  at  once  solves  the  difficulty.  For  as  mountain  after 
mountain,  and  island  after  island,  slowly  sank  beneath  the  water, 
fresh  bases  would  be  successively  afforded  for  the  growth  of  the 
corals.  It  is  impossible  here  to  enter  into  all  the  necessary 
details,  but  I  venture  to  defy*  any  one  to  explain  in  any  other 
manner,  how  it  is  possible  that  numerous  islands  should  be  dis- 
tributed throughout  vast  areas — all  the  islands  being  low— all 
being  built  of  corals,  absolutely  requiring  a  foundation  within 
a  limited  depth  from  the  surface. 

Before  explaining  how  atoll-formed  reefs  acquire  their  pecu- 
liar structure,  we  must  turn  to  the  second  great  class,  namely, 
Barrier-reefs.  These  either  extend  in  straight  lines  in  front  of 
the  shores  of  a  continent  or  of  a  large  island,  or  they  encircle 
smaller  islands ;  in  both  cases,  being  separated  from  the  land  by 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  Mr.  Lyell,  even  in  the  first  Edition  of  his  '  Princi- 
ples of  Geology,'  inferred  that  the  amount  of  subsidence  in  the  Pacific  must 
nave  exceeded  that  of  elevation,  from  the  area  of  land  being  very  small 
relatively  to  the  agents  there  tending  to  form  it,  namely,  the  growth  of  coral 
and  volcanic  action. 


1836.]  BARRIER-REEFS.  469 

a  broad  and  rather  deep  channel  of  water,  analogous  to  the 
lagoon  within  an  atoll.  It  is  remarkable  how  little  attention 
has  been  paid  to  encircling  ba rrier- reefs ;  yet  they  are  truly 
wonderful  structures.  The  following  sketch  represents  part  of 


the  barrier  encircling  the  island  of  Bolabola  in  the  Pacific,  as 
3een  from  one  of  the  central  peaks.    In  this  instance  the  whole  line 


of  reef  has  been  converted  into  land  ;  but  usually  a  snow-white  line 
of  great  breakers,  with  onlj  here  and  there  a  single  low  islet 
crowned  with  cocoa-nut  trees,  divides  the  dark  heaving  waters 
of  the  ocean  from  the  light-green  expanse  of  the  lagoon-channel. 
And  the  quiet  waters  of  this  channel  generally  bathe  a  fringe  of 
low  alluvial  soil,  loaded  with  the  most  beautiful  productions  of 
the  tropics,  and  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  wild,  abrupt,  central 
mountains. 

Encircling  barrier-reefs  are  of  all  sizes,  from  three  miles  to 
no  less  than  forty-four  miles  in  diameter ;  and  that  which  fronts 
one  side,  and  encircles  both  ends,  of  New  Caledonia,  is  400  miles 
long.  Each  reef  includes  one,  two,  or  several  rocky  islands  of 
various  heights  ;  and  in  one  instance,  even  as  many  as  twelve 
separate  islands.  The  reef  runs  at  a  greater  or  less  distance 
from  the  included  land  ;  in  the  Society  archipelago  generally 
from  one  to  three  or  four  miles ;  but  at  Hogoleu  the  reef  is 
20  miles  on  the  southern  side,  and  14  miles  on  the  opposite 
or  northern  side,  from  the  included  islands.  The  depth  within 
the  lagoon-channel  also  varies  much  ;  from  10  to  30  fathoms 
may  be  taken  as  an  average  ;  but  at  Vanikoro  there  are  spaces  no 
less  than  56  fathoms  or  336  feet  deep.  Internally  the  reef  either 
slopes  gently  into  the  lagoon-channel,  or  ends  in  a  pprpendicular 


470  BARRIER-REEFS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

wall  sometimes  between  two  and  three  hundred  feet  under  water 
in  height :  externally  the  reef  rises,  like  an  atoll,  with  extreme 
abruptness  out  of  the  profound  depths  of  the  ocean.  What  can 
be  more  singular  than  these  structures?  We  see  an  island, 
which  may  be  compared  to  a  castle  situated  on  the  summit  of  a 
lofty  submarine  mountain,  protected  by  a  great  wall  of  coral  - 
rock,  always  steep  externally  and  sometimes  internally,  with  a 
broad  level  summit,  here  and  there  breached  by  narrow  gate- 
ways, through  which  the  largest  ships  can  enter  the  wide  and 
deep  encircling  moat. 

As  far  as  the  actual  reef  of  coral  is  concerned,  there  is  not  the 
smallest  difference,  in  general  size,  outline,  grouping,  and  even 
in  quite  trifling  details  of  structure,  between  a  barrier  and  an 
atoll.  The  geographer  Balbi  has  well  remarked,  that  an  encircled 
island  is  an  atoll  with  high  land  rising  out  of  its  lagoon ;  remove 
the  land  from  within,  and  a  perfecfe  atoll  is  left. 

But  what  has  caused  these  reefs  to  spring  up  at  such  great 
distances  from  the  shores  of  the  included  islands?  It  cannot  be 
that  the  corals  will  not  grow  close  to  the  land  ;  for  the  shores 
within  the  lagoon-channel,  when  not  surrounded  by  alluvial  soil, 
are  often  fringed  by  living  reefs ;  and  we  shall  presently  see 
that  there  is  a  whole  class,  which  I  have  called  Fringing  Reefs 
from  their  close  attachment  to  the  shores  both  of  continents  and 
of  islands.  Again,  on  what  have  the  reef-building  corals,  which 
cannot  live  at  great  depths,  based  their  encircling  structures  ? 
This  is  a  great  apparent  difficulty,  analogous  to  that  in  the  case 
of  atolls,  which  has  generally  been  overlooked.  It  will  be  per- 
ceived more  clearly  by  inspecting  the  following  sections,  which 
are  real  ones,  taken  in  north  and  south  lines,  through  the  islands 
with  their  barrier-reefs,  of  Vanikoro,  Gambier,  and  Maurua ; 
and  they  are  laid  down,  both  vertically  and  horizontally,  on  the 
same  scale  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  a  mile. 

It  should  be  observed  that  the  sections  might  have  been  taken 
in  any  direction  through  these  islands,  or  through  many  other 
encircled  islands,  and  the  general  features  would  have  been  the 
same.  Now  bearing  in  mind  that  reef-building  coral  cannot 
live  at  a  greater  depth  than  from  20  to  30  fathoms,  and  that  the 
scale  is  so  small  that  the  plummets  on  the  right  hand  show  a 
depth  of  200  fathoms,  on  what  are  these  barrier-reefs  based? 


1838.] 


BARRIER-REEFS. 


471 


1.  Vimikoro.    2.  Oambier  Islands.    3.  Maurua. 

The  hori7ontal  shading  shows  the  barrier-reofg  and  lagoon-^hanncl*.  The  inclined 
shading  above  the  level  of  the  sea  (AA),  shows  the  actual  form  of  the  land  ;  the  inclined 
shading  below  this  line,  shows  its  probable  prolongation  under  water. 

Are  we  to  suppose  that  each  island  is  surrounded  by  a  collar- 
iike  submarine  ledge  of  rock,  or  by  a  great  bank  of  sediment, 
eliding  abruptly  where  the  reef  ends?  If  the  sea  had  for- 
merly eaten  deeply  into  the  islands,  before  they  were  protected 
by  the  reefs,  thus  having  left  a  shallow  ledge  round  them  under 
water,  the  present  shores  would  have  been  invariably  bounded  by 
great  precipices  ;  but  this  is  most  rarely  the  case.  Moreover,  on 
this  notion,  it  is  not  possible  to  explain  why  the  corals  should 
have  sprung  up,  like  a  wall,  from  the  extreme  outer  margin  of 
the  ledge,  often  leaving  a  broad  space  of  water  within,  too  deep 
for  the  growth  of  corals.  The  accumulation  of  a  wide  bank  of 
sediment  all  round  these  islands,  and  generally  widest  where  the 
included  islands  are  smallest,  is  highly  improbable,  considering 
their  exposed  positions  in  the  central  and  deepest  parrs  of  the 
ocean.  In  the  case  of  the  barrier-reef  of  New  Caledonia,  which 
extends  for  150  miles  beyond  the  northern  point  of  the  island,  in 
the  same  straight  line  with  which .  it  fronts  the  west  coast,  it  is 
hardly  possible  to  believe,  that  a  bank  of  sediment  could  thus  have 
been  straightly  deposited  in  front  of  a  lofty  island,  and  so  far  be- 
yond i(s  termination  in  the  open  sea.  Finally,  if  we  look  to  other 
oceanic  islands  of  about  the  same  height  and  of  similar  geological 
constitution,  but  not  encircled  by  coral-reefs,  we  may  in  vaiu 
uearcli  for  so  trifling  a  circumambient  depth  as  30  fathoms,  except 
81 


472  FRINGING-REEFS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

quite  near  to  their  shores  ;  for  usually  land  that  rises  abruptly  out 
of  water,  as  do  most  of  the  encircled  and  non-encircled  oceanic 
islands,  plunges  abruptly  under  it.  On  what  then,  I  repeat,  are 
these  barrier-reefs  based  ?  Why,  with  tljeir  wide  and  deep  moat- 
like  channels,  do  they  stand  so  far  from  the  included  land  ?  We 
shall  soon  see  how  easily  these  difficulties  disappear. 

We  come  now  to  our  third  class  of  Fringing  Reefs,  which  will 
require  a  very  short  notice.  Where  the  land  slopes  abruptly 
under  water,  these  reefs  are  only  a  few  yards  in  width,  forming 
a  mere  ribbon  or  fringe  round  the  shores :  where  the  land  slopes 
gently  under  the  water  the  reef  extends  further,  sometimes  even 
as  much  as  a  mile  from  the  land  ;  but  in  such  cases  the  soundings 
outside  the  reef,  always  show  that  the  submarine  prolongation  of 
the  land  is  gently  inclined.  In  fact  the  reefs  extend  only  to  that 
distance  from  the  shore,  at  which  a  foundation  within  the  requi- 
site depth  from  20  to  30  fathoms  is  found.  As  far  as  the  actual 
reef  is  concerned,  there  is  no  essential  difference  between  it  and 
that  forming  a  barrier  or  an  atoll :  it  is,  however,  generally  of 
less  width,  and  consequently  few  islets  have  been  formed  on  it. 
From  the  corals  growing  more  vigorously  on  the  outside,  and 
from  the  noxious  effect  of  the  sediment  washed  inwards,  the  outer 
edge  of  the  reef  is  the  highest  part,  and  between  it  and  the  land 
there  is  generally  a  shallow  sandy  channel  a  few  feet  in  depth. 
Where  banks  of  sediment  have  accumulated  near  to  the  surface, 
as  in  parts  of  the  West  Indies,  they  sometimes  become  fringed 
with  corals,  and  hence  in  some  degree  resemble  lagoon-islands  or 
atolls ;  iu  the  same  manner  as  fringing-reefs,  surrounding  gently- 
sloping  islands,  in  some  degree  resemble  barrier-reefs. 

No  theory  on  the  formation  of  coral-reefs  can  be  considered 
satisfactory  which  does  not  include  the  three  great  classes.  We 
have  seen  that  we  are  driven  to  believe  in  the  subsidence  of 
those  vast  areas,  interspersed  with  low  islands,  of  which  not  one 
rises  above  the  height  to  which  the  wind  and  waves  can  throw 
ap  matter,  and  yet  are  constructed  by  animals  requiring  a 
foundation,  and  that  foundation  to  lie  at  no  great  depth.  Let 
us  then  take  an  island  surrounded  by  fringing-reefs,  which  offer 
no  difficulty  in  their  structure ;  and  let  th'js  island  with  its 
reef,  represented  by  the  unbroken  lines  in  the  woodcut,  slowly 


1836.] 


THEORY   OF   CORAL-REEFS. 


473 


subside.     Now  as   the  island  sinks  down,  either  a  few  feet  at 
a  time  or    quite    insensibly,   we   may  safely    infer,  from  what 


AA  Outer  odgeJ  of  the  fringing-reef,  at  the  level  ot  the  sea.  B15.  The  shores  of  the 
fringed  island. 

A'A'  Outer  edges  of  the  reef,  after  its  upward  growth  during  a  period  of  subsidence, 
now  converted  into  \  harrier,  with  islets  on  it.  B'B'.  The  shores  of  the  now  encircled 
island.  CC.  Lagoon-channel. 

N.H.  In  this  and  the  following  woodcut,  the  subsidence  of  the  land  could  be  repre 
sented  only  by  an  apparent  rise  in  the  level  of  the  sea. 

is  known  of  the  conditions  favourable  to  the  growth  of  coral, 
that  the  living  masses,  bathed  by  the  surf  on  the  margin  of 
the  reef,  will  soon  regain  the  surface.  The  water,  however, 
will  encroach  little  by  little  on  the  shore,  the  island  becom- 
ing lowf>r  and  smaller,  and  the  space  between  the  inner  edge 
of  the  reef  and  the  beach  proportionally  broader.  A  section 
of  the  reef  and  island  in  this  state,  after  a  subsidence  of  several 
hundred  feet,  is  given  by  the  dotted  lines.  Coral  islets  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  formed  on  the  reef;  and  a  ship  is  anchored 
in  the  lagoon-channel.  This  channel  will  be  more  or  less  deep, 
according  to  the  rate  of  subsidence,  to  the  amount  of  sediment 
accumulated  in  it,  and  to  the  growth  of  the  delicately  branched 
corals  which  can  live  there.  The  section  in  this  state  resem 
bles  in  every  respect  one  drawn  through  an  encircled  island :  in 
fact,  it  is  a  real  section  (on  the  scale  of  -517  of  an  inch  to  a  mile) 
through  Bolabola  in  the  Pacific.  We  can  now  at  once  see  why 
encircling  barrier-reefs  stand  so  far  from  the  shores  which  they 
front.  We  can  also  perceive,  that  a  line  drawn  perpendicularly 
down  from  the  outer  edge  of  the  new  reef,  to  the  foundation  of 
gelid  rock  beneath  the  old  fringing-reef,  will  exceed  by  as  many 
feet  as  there  have  been  feet  of  subsidence,  that  small  limit  of 
depth  at  which  the  effective  corals  can  live : — the  little  archi- 
tects having  built  up  their  great  wall-like  mass,  as  the  whole 
«aiik  down,  upon  a  basis  formed  of  other  corals  and  their  conso- 


474  THEORY   OF   CORAL-REEFS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

lidated  fragments.  Thus  the  difficulty  on  this  head,  which  ap- 
peared so  great,  disappears. 

If,  instead  of  an  island,  we  had  taken  the  shore  of  a  continent 
fringed  with  reefs,  and  had  imagined  it  to  have  subsided,  a  great 
straight  barrier,  like  that  of  Australia  or  New  Caledonia,  sepa- 
rated from  the  land  by  a  wide  and  deep  channel,  would  evidently 
have  been  the  result. 

Let  us  take  our  new  encircling  barrier-reef,  of  which  the  sec- 
tion is  now  represented  by  unbroken  lines,  and  which,  as  I  have 
said,  is  a  real  section  through  Bolabola,  and  let  it  go  on  sub- 
siding. As  the  barrier-reef  slowly  sinks  down,  tho  corals  will 


A' A'.  Outer  edges  of  the  barr.er-reef  at  the  level  of  the  sea,  with  islets  on  it.    B'B'.  The 
shores  of  the  included  island.     CO.  The  Jugoon  channel. 

A" A".     Outer  edges  of  the  reef,  now  converted  into  an  atoll.    C'.    The  lagoon  of  the 

N.B.  According  to  the  true  scale,  the  depths  of  the  lagoon-channel  and  lagoon  are  much 
exa-ger  ted. 

go  on  vigorously  growing  upwards  ;  but  as  the  island  sinks,  the 
water  will  gain  inch  by  inch  on  the  shore — the  separate  mouo 
tains  first  forming  separate  islands  within  one  great  reef — ami 
finally,  the  last  and  highest  pincacle  disappearing.  The  instant 
this  takes  place,  a  perfect  atoll  is  formed  :  I  have  said,  remove 
the  high  land  from  within  an  encircling  barrier-reef,  and  an  atoll 
is  left,  and  the  land  has  been  removed.  We  can  now  per- 
f.eive  how  it  comes  that  atolls,  having  sprung  from  encircling 
barrier-reefs,  resemble  them  in  general  size,  form,  in  the  manner 
in  which  they  are  grouped  together,  and  in  their  arrangement 
In  single  or  double  lines ;  for  they  may  be  called  rude  outline 
charts  of  the  sunken  islands  over  which  they  stand.  We  can 
further  sec  how  it  arises  that  the  atolls  in  the  Pacific  and  Indian 
oceans  extend  in  lines  parallel  to  the  generally  prevailing  strike  of 
the  high  islands  and  great  coast-lines  of  those  oceans.  I  venture. 


1836.]  SUBSIDENCE   OF   CORAL-REEFS.  475 

therefore,  to  affirm,  that,  on  the  theory  of  the  upward  growth  of 
the  corals  during  the  sinking  of  the  land,*  all  the  leading  fea- 
tures in  those  wonderful  structures,  the  lagoon-islands  or  atolls^ 
which  have  so  long  excited  the  attention  of  voyagers,  as  well  as 
in  the  no  less  wonderful  barrier-reefs,  whether  encircling  small 
islands  or  stretching  for  hundreds  of  miles  along  the  shores  of  a 
continent,  are  simply  explained. 

It  may  be  asked,  whether  1  can  offer  any  direct  evidence  of 
the  subsidence  of  barrier-reefs  or  atolls;  but  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  how  difficult  it  must  ever  be  to  detect  a  movement,  the 
tendency  of  which  is  to  hide  under  water  the  part  affected.  Ne- 
vertheless, at  Keeling  atoll  I  observed  on  all  sides  of  the  lagoon 
old  cocoa-nut  trees  undermined  and  falling ;  and  in  one  place 
the  foundation-posts  of  a  shed,  which  the  inhabitants  asserted 
had  stood  seven  years  before  just  above  high-water  mark,  bu 
now  was  daily  washed  by  every  tide :  on  inquiry  I  found  that 
three  earthquakes,  one  of  them  severe,  had  been  felt  here  during 
the  last  ten  years.  At  Vanikoro,  the  lagoon-channel  is  remark- 
ably deep,  scarcely  any  alluvial  soil  has  accumulated  at  the  fool 
of  the  lofty  included  mountains,  arid  remarkably  few  islets  have 
been  formed  by  the  heaping  of  fragments  and  sand  on  the  wall- 
like  barrier-reef;  these  facts,  and  some  analogous  ones,  led  me 
to  believe  that  this  island  must  lately  have  subsided  and  the 
reef  grown  upwards :  here  again  earthquakes  are  frequent  and 
very  severe.  In  the  Society  archipelago,  on  the  other  hand, 
where  the  lagoon-channels  are  almost  choked  up,  where  much 
low  alluvial  land  has  accumulated,  and  where  in  some  cases  long 
islets  have  been  formed  on  the  barrier-reefs — facts  all  showing 
that  the  islands  have  not  very  lately  subsided — only  feeble  shocks 
are  most  rarely  felt.  In  these  coral  formations,  where  the  land 
and  water  seem  struggling  for  mastery,  it  must  be  ever  difficult 
to  decide  between  the  effects  of  a  change  in  the  set  of  the  tidet 
and  of  a  slight  subsidence :  that  many  of  these  reefs  and  atolls 

*  It  has  been  highly  satisfactory  to  me  to  find  the  following  passage  in  a 
pamphlet  by  Mr.  Couthouy,  one  of  the  naturalists  in  the  great  Antarctic  Ex- 
(leditiiin  of  the  United  States :— "  Having  personally  examined  a  large 
number  of  coral-islands,  and  resided  eight  months  among  the  volcanic 
class  having  shore  and  partially  encircling  reel's,  I  may  be  permitted 
to  state  that  my  own  observations  have  impressed  a  conviction  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  theory  of  Mr.  Darwin." — The  naturalists,  however,  of  thii 
expedition  diifer  with  me  on  some  points  respecting  coral  formations. 


476  CHANGES  IN   CORAL-REEFS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

are  subject  to  changes  of  some  kind  is  certain  ;  on  some  atolls 
che  islets  appear  to  have  increased  greatly  within  a  late  period  ; 
on  others  they  have  been  partially  or  wholly  washed  away.  The 
inhabitants  of  parts  of  the  Maldiva  archipelago  know  the  dale 
of  the  first  formation  of  some  islets ;  in  other  parts,  the  corals 
are  now  flourishing  on  water-washed  reefs,  where  holes  made 
for  graves  attest  the  former  existence  of  inhabited  land.  It  is 
difficult  to  believe  in  frequent  changes  in  the  tidal  currents  of  an 
open  ocean ;  whereas,  we  have  in  the  earthquakes  recorded  by 
the  natives  on  some  atolls,  and  in  the  great  fissures  observed  on 
other  atolls,  plain  evidence  of  changes  and  disturbances  in  pro- 
gress in  the  subterranean  regions. 

It  is  evident,  on  our  theory,  that  coasts  merely  fringed  by 
reefs  cannot  have  subsided  to  any  perceptible  amount ;  and 
therefore  they  must,  since  the  growth  of  their  corals,  either  have 
remained  stationary  or  have  been  upheaved.  Now  it  is  remark- 
able how  generally  it  can  be  shown,  by  the  presence  of  upraised 
organic  remains,  that  the  fringed  islands  have  been  elevated : 
and  so  far,  this  is  indirect  evidence  in  favour  of  our  theory.  I 
was  particularly  struck  with  this  fact,  when  I  found  to  my  sur- 
prise, that  the  descriptions  given  by  MM.  Quoy  and  Gaimard 
were  applicable,  not  to  reefs  in  general  as  implied  by  them,  but 
only  to  those  of  the  f ringing-class ;  my  surprise,  however,  ceased 
when  I  afterwards  found  that,  by  a  strange  chance,  all  the  several 
islands  visited  by  these  eminent  naturalists,  could  be  shown  by 
their  own  statements  to  have  been  elevated  within  a  recent  geo- 
logical era. 

•Not  only  the  grand  features  in  the  structure  of  barrier-reefs 
and  of  atolls,  and  of  their  likeness  to  each  other  in  form, 
size,  and  other  characters,  are  explained  on  the  theory  of  sub- 
sidence— which  theory  we  are  independently  forced  to  admit  in 
the  very  areas  in  question,  from  the  necessity  of  finding  bases 
for  the  corals  within  the  requisite  depth — but  many  details  in 
structure  and  exceptional  cases  can  thus  also  be  simply  explained, 
I  will  give  only  a  few  instances.  In  barrier-reefs  it  has  long 
been  remarked  with  surprise,  that  the  passages  through  the  reef 
exactly  face  valleys  in  the  included  land,  even  incases  where  the 
reef  is  separated  from  the  land  by  a  lagoon-channel  so  wide  ano 
»o  much  deeper  than  the  actual  passage  itself,  that  it  seems  hardly 


1836.]  BREACHES  IN   BARRIER-REEFS.  477 

possible  that  the  very  small  quantity  of  water  or  sediment  brought 
down  could  injure  the  corals  on  the  reef.  Now,  every  reef  of 
the  fringing-class  is  breached  by  a  narrow  gateway  in  front  ol 
the  smallest  rivulet,  even  if  dry  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  for  the  mud,  sand,  or  gravel,  occasionally  washed  down, 
kills  the  corals  on  which  it  is  deposited.  Consequently,  when 
an  island  thus  fringed  subsides,  though  most  of  the  narrow  gate- 
ways will  probably  become  closed  by  the  outward  and  upward 
growth  of  the  corals,  yet  any  that  are  not  closed  (and  some  must 
always  be  kept  open  by  the  sediment  and  impure  water  flowing 
out  of  the  lagoon-channel)  will  still  continue  to  front  exactly 
the  upper  parts  of  those  valleys,  at  the  mouths  of  which  the 
original  basal  fringing- reef  was  breached. 

We  can  easily  see  how  an  island  fronted  only  on  one  side,  or 
on  one  side  with  6ne  end  or  both  ends  encircled  by  barrier-reefs, 
might  after  long-continued  subsidence  be  converted  either  into 
a  single  wall-like  reef,  or  into  an  atoll  with  a  great  straight  spur 
projecting  from  it,  or  into  two  or  three  atoll?  tied  together  by 
straight  reefs — all  of  which  exceptional  cases  actually  occur. 
As  the  reef-building  corals  require  food,  are  preyed  upon  by 
other  animals,  are  killed  by  sediment,  cannot  adhere  to  a  loose 
bottom,  and  may  be  easily  carried  down  to  a  depth  whence  they 
cannot  spring  up  again,  we  need  feel  no  surprise  at  the  reefs 
both  of  atolls  and  barriers  becoming  in  parts  imperfect.  The 
great  barrier  of  New  Caledonia  is  thus  imperfect  and  broken  in 
many  parts ;  hence,  after  long  subsidence,  this  great  reef  would 
not  produce  one  great  atoll  400  miles  in  length,  but  a  chain  or 
archipelago  of  atolls,  of  very  nearly  the  same  dimensions  with 
those  in  the  Maldiva  archipelago.  Moreover,  in  an  atoll  once 
breached  on  opposite  sides,  from  the  likelihood  of  the  oceanic 
and  tidal  currents  passing  straight  through1  the  breaches,  it 
is  extremely  improbable  that  the  corals,  especially  during  con- 
tinued subsidence,  would  ever  be  able  again  to  unite  the  rim  . 
if  they  did  not,  as  the  whole  sank  downwards,  one  atoll  would  be 
divided  int.  two  or  more.  Tn  the  Maldiva  archipelago  there  are 
distinct  atolls  so  related  to  each  other  in  position,  and  separated 
by  channels  either  unfathomable  or  very  deep  (the  channel  be- 
tween  Ross  and  Ari  atolls  is  150  fathoms,  and  that  between  the 
north  djid  south  Xillaudoo  atolls  is  200  fathoms  in  depth),  thai 


478  MALDIVA   ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xx. 

't  is  impossible  to  look  at  a  map  of  them  without  believing  that 
they  were  once  more  intimately  related.  And  in  this  same  archi- 
pelago, Mahlos-Mahdoo  atoll  is  divided  by  a  bifurcating  channel 
from  100  to  132  fathoms  in  depth,  in  such  a  manner,  that  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  say  whether  it  ought  strictly  to  be  called  three 
separate  atolls,  or  one  great  atoll  not  yet  finally  divided. 

I  will  not  enter  on  many  more  details ;  but  I  must  remark 
that  the  curious  structure  of  the  northern  Maldiva  atolls  receives 
(taking  into  consideration  the  free  entrance  of  the  sea  through 
their  broken  margins)  a  simple  explanation  in  the  upward  and 
outward  growth  of  the  corals,  originally  based  both  on  small 
detached  reefs  in  their  lagoons,  such  as  occur  in  common  atolls, 
and  on  broken  portions  of  the  linear  marginal  reef,  such  as  bounds 
every  atoll  of  the  ordinary  form.  I  cannot  refrain  from  once 
again  remarking  on  the  singularity  of  these  complex  structures 
— a  great  sandy  and  generally  concave  disk  rises  abruptly  from 
the  unfathomable  ocean,  with  its  central  expanse  studded,  and 
its  edge  symmetrically  bordered  with  oval  basins  of  coral-rock 
just  lipping  the  surface  of  the  sea,  sometimes  clothed  with  vege- 
tation, and  each  containing  a  lake  of  clear  water  ! 

One  more  point  in  detail :  as  in  two  neighbouring  archipe- 
lagoes corals  nourish  in  one  and  not  in  the  other,  and  as  so  many 
conditions  before  enumerated  must  affect  their  existence,  it  would 
be  an  inexplicable  fact  if,  during  the  changes  to  which  earth, 
air,  and  water  are  subjected,  the  reef-building  corals  were  to 
keep  alive  for  perpetuity  on  any  one  spot  or  area.  And  as  by 
our  theory  the  areas  including  atolls  and  barrier-reefs  are  subsid- 
ing, we  ought  occasionally  to  find  reefs  both  dead  and  sub- 
merged. In  all  reefs,  owing  to  the  sediment  being  washed 
out  of  the  lagoon  or  lagoon-channel  to  leeward,  that  side  is  least 
favourable  to  the  long-continued  vigorous  growth  of  the  corals  ; 
hence  dead  portions  of  reef  not  unfrequently  occur  on  the  lee- 
ward side ;  and  these,  though  still  retaining  their  proper  wall- 
like  form,  are  now  in  several  instances  sunk  several  fathoms  be- 
neath the  surface.  The  Chagos  group  appears  from  some  cause, 
possibly  from  the  subsidence  having  been  too  rapid,  at  present 
to  be  much  less  favourably  circumstanced  for  the  growth  oi 
reefs  than  formerly  :  one  atoll  has  a  portion  of  its  marginal  reef, 
nine  miles  in  length,  dead  and  submerged  ;  a  second  has  only  a 


DEAD   AND   SUNKEN   REEFS.  479 

few  quite  small  living  points  which  rise  to  the  surface  ;  a  third 
and  fourth  are  entirely  dead  and  submerged  ;  a  fifth  is  a  mere 
wreck,  with  its  structure  almost  obliterated.  It  is  remarkable 
that  in  all  these  cases,  the  dead  reefs  and  portions  of  reef  lie  at 
nearly  the  same  depth,  namely,  from  six  to  eight  fathoms  beneath 
the  surface,  as  if  they  had  been  carried  down  by  one  uniform 
movement.  One  of  these  "  half-drowned  atolls,"  so  called  by 
Capt.  Moresby  (to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much  invaluable 
information),  is  of  vast  she,  namely,  ninety  nautical  miles  across 
in  one  direction,  and  seventy  miles  in  another  line;  and  is  in 
many  respects  eminently  curious.  As  by  our  theory  it  follows 
that  new  atolls  will  generally  be  formed  in  each  new  area  of 
subsidence,  two  weighty  objections  might  have  been  raised, 
namely,  that  atolls  must  be  increasing  indefinitely  in  number ; 
and  secondly,  that  in  old  areas  of  subsidence  each  separate  atoll 
must  be  increasing  indefinitely  in  thickness,  if  proofs  of  their 
occasional  destruction  could  not  have  been  adduced.  Thus 
have  we  traced  the  history  of  these  great  rings  of  coral-rock,  from 
their  first  origin  through  their  normal  changes,  and  through  the 
occasional  accidents  of  their  existence,  to  their  death  and  final 
obliteration. 

In  my  volume  on  '  Coral  Formations'  I  have  published  a  map, 
in  which  I  have  coloured  all  the  atolls  dark-blue,  the  barrier- 
reefs  pale-blue,  and  the  fringing-resfs  red.  These  latter  reeft 
have  been  formed  whilst  the  land  has  been  stationary,  or,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  frequent  presence  of  upraised  organic  remains, 
whilst  it  lias  been  slowly  rising :  atolls  and  barrier-reefs,  on  the 
other  hand,  have  grown  up  during  the  directly  opposite  movement 
of  subsidence,  which  movement  must  have  been  very  gradual, 
and  in  the  case  of  atolls  so  vast  in  amount  as  to  have  buried 
every  mountain-summit  over  wide  ocean-spaces.  Now  in  this 
map  we  see  that  the  reefs  tinted  pale  and  dark-blue,  which  have 
heen  produced  by  the  same  order  of  movement,  as  a  general  rule 
manifestly  stand  near  each  other.  Again  we  see,  that  the  areas 
with  the  two  blue  tints  are  of  wide  extent;  and  that  they  HH 
separate  from  extensive  lines  of  coast  coloured  red,  both  of  which 
circumstances  might  naturally  have  been  inferred,  on  the  theory 
of  the  nature  of  the  reefs  having  been  governed  by  the  nature 


480  DISTRIBUTION   OF   CORAL-REEFS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

of  the  earth's  movement.  It  deserves  notice,  that  in  more  than 
one  instance  where  single  red  and  blue  circles  approach  near 
each  other,  I  can  show  that  there  have  been  oscillations  of  level ; 
for  in  such  cases  the  red  or  fringed  circles  consist  of  atoll-j,  ori- 
ginally by  our  theory  formed  during  subsidence,  but  subsequently 
upheaved  ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  pale-blue  or  en- 
circled islands  are  composed  of  coral-rock,  which  must  have  been 
uplifted  to  its  present  height  before  that,  subsidence  took  place, 
during  which  the  existing  barrier-reefs  grew  upwards. 

Authors  have  noticed  with  surprise,  that  although  atolls  are 
the  commonest  coral-structures  throughout  some  enormous 
oceanic  tracts,  they  are  entirely  absent  in  other  seas,  as  in  the 
West  Indies :  we  can  now  at  once  perceive  the  cause,  for  where 
there  has  not  been  subsidence,  atolls  cannot  have  been  formed  ; 
and  in  the  case  of  the  West  Indies  and  parts  of  the  East  Indies, 
these  tracts  are  known  to  have  been  rising  within  the  recent  pe- 
riod. The  larger  areas,  coloured  red  and  blue,  are  all  elongated  ; 
and  between  the  two  colours  there  is  a  degree  of  rude  alternation, 
as  if  the  rising  of  one  had  balanced  the  sinking  of  the  other. 
Taking  into  consideration  the  proofs  of  recent  elevation  both  on 
the  fringed  coasts  and  on  some  others  (for  instance,  in  South  Ame- 
rica) where  there  are  no  reefs,  we  are  led  to  conclude  that  the  great 
continents  are  for  the  most  part  rising  areas  ;  and  from  the  nature 
of  the  coral-reefs,  that  the  central  parts  of  the  great  oceans  are 
sinking  areas.  The  East  Indian  archipelago,  the  most  broken 
land  in  the  world,  is  in  most  parts  an  area  of  elevation,  but  sur- 
rounded and  penetrated,  probably  in  more  lines  than  one,  by 
narrow  areas  of  subsidence. 

I  have  marked  with  vermilion  spots  all  the  many  known  active 
volcanos  within  the  limits  of  this  same  map.  Their  entire  ab- 
sence from  every  one  of  the  great  subsiding  areas,  coloured  either 
pale  or  dark  blue,  is  most  striking  ;  and  not  less  so  is  the  coin- 
cidence of  the  chief  volcanic  chains  with  the  parts  coloured  red, 
which  we  are  led  to  conclude  have  either  long  remained  station- 
ary, or  more  generally  have  been  recently  upraised.  Although 
a  few  of  the  vermilion  spots  occur  within  no  great  distance  ot 
single  circles  tinted  blue,  yet  not  one  single  active  volcano  is 
situated  within  several  hundred  miles  of  an  archipelago,  or  even 
small  group  of  atolls.  It  is,  therefore,  a  striking  fact  that  in 


1836.]  THEIR   RELATION  TO   VOLCANOS.  481 

the  Friendly  Archipelago,  which  consists  of  a  group  of  atolls 
upheaved  and  since  partially  worn  down,  two  volcanos,  and 
perhaps  more,  are  historically  known  to  have  been  in  action.  On 
the  other  hand,  although  most  of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific  which 
are  encircled  by  barrier-reefs,  are  of  volcanic  origin,  often  with 
the  remnants  of  craters  still  distinguishable,  not  one  of  them  is 
known  to  have  ever  been  in  eruption.  Hence  in  these  cases  it 
would  appear,  that  volcanos  burst  forth  into  action  and  become 
extinguished  on  the  same  spots,  accordingly  as  elevatory  or  sub- 
siding movements  prevail  there.  Numberless  facts  could  be 
adduced  to  prove  that  upraised  organic  remains  are  common 
wherever  there  are  active  volcanos ;  but  until  it  could  be  shown 
that  in  areas  of  subsidence,  volcanos  were  either  absent  or  inac- 
tive, the  inference,  however  probable  in  itself,  that  their  distri- 
bution depended  on  the  rising  or  falling  of  the  earth's  surface, 
would  have  been  hazardous.  But  now,  I  think,  we  may  freely 
admit  this  important  deduction.. 

Taking  a  final  view  of  the  map,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  state- 
ments made  with  respect  to  the  upraised  organic  remains,  we 
must  feel  astonished  al  the  vastness  of  the  areas,  which  have 
suffered  changes  in  level  either  downward*  or  upwards,  within  a 
period  not  geologically  remote.  It  would  appear,  also,  that  the 
elevatory  and  subsiding  movements  follow  nearly  the  same  laws. 
Throughout  the  spaces  interspersed  with  atolls,  where  not  a  single 
peak  of  high  land  has  been  left  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  sink- 
ing must  have  been  immense  in  amount.  The  sinking,  moreover, 
whether  continuous,  or  recurrent  with  intervals  sufficiently  long 
for  the  corals  again  to  bring  up  their  living  edifices  to  the  surface, 
must  necessarily  have  been  extremely  slow.  This  conclusion  is 
probably  the  most  important  one,  which  can  be  deduced  from  the 
study  of  coral  formations  ; — and  it  is  one  which  it  is  difficult  to 
imagine,  how  otherwise  could  ever  have  been  arrived  at.  Nor  can 
J  quite  pass  over  the  probability  of  the  former  existence  of  large 
archipelagoes  of  lofty  islands,  where  now  only  rings  of  coral-rock 
scarcely  break  the.  open  expanse  of  the  sea,  throwing  some  light 
on  the  distribution  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  other  high  islands,  now 
left  standing  so  immensely  remote  from  each  other  in  the  midst 
of  the  great  oceans.  The  reef-constructing  corals  have  indeed 
reared  and  preserved  wonderful  memorials  of  the  subterranean 


482  VAST   AMOUNT   OF  SUBSIDENCE.  [CHAP.  xr. 

oscillations  of  level ;  we  see  in  each  barrier-reef  a  proof  that  the 
land  has  there  subsided,  and  in  each  atoll  a  monument  over  an 
Island  now  lost.  We  may  thus,  like  unto  a  geologist  who  had 
lived  his  ten  thousand  years  and  kept  a  record  of  the  passing 
changes,  gain  some  insight  into  the  great  system  by  which  the 
surface  of  this  globe  has  been  broken  up,  and  land  and  water  j> 
terchanged. 


1836.]  APPEARANCE   OF   MAURITIUS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


MAUUITIUS  TO  ENGLAND. 

Manritins,  beautiful  appearance  of— Great  crateriform  ring  of  Mountains- 
Hindoos — St.  Helena — History  of  the  changes  in  the  vegetation — Cause  of 
the  extinction  of  land-shells — Ascension — Variation  in  the  imported  rats 
— Volcanic  Bombs— Beds  of  infusoria — Bahia — Brazil— Splendour  of  tro- 
pical scenery — Pernambuco — Singular  Iteef — Slavery — Return  to  Eng- 
land— Retrospect  on  our  voyage. 

April  29th. — IN  the  morning  we  passed  round  the  northern  end 
of  Mauritius,  or  the  Isle  of  France.  From  this  point  of  view 
the  aspect  of  the  island  equalled  the  expectations  raised  by  the 
many  well-known  descriptions  of  its  beautiful  scenery.  The 
sloping  plain  of  the  Pamplemousses,  interspersed  with  houses, 
and  coloured  by  the  large  fields  of  sugar-cane  of  a  bright  green, 
composed  the  foreground.  The  brilliancy  of  the  green  was  the 
more  remarkable,  because  it  is  a  colour  which  generally  is  con- 
spicuous only  from  a  very  snort  distance.  Towards  the  centre 
of  the  island  groups  of  wooded  mountains  rose  out  of  this  highly- 
cultivated  plain ;  their  summits,  as  so  commonly  happens  with 
ancient  volcanic  rocks,  being  jagged  into  the  sharpest  points. 
Masse?  of  white  clouds  were  collected  around  these  pinnacles,  as 
if  for  the  sake  of  pleasing  the  stranger's  eye.  The  whole  island, 
with  its  sloping  border  and  central  mountains,  was  adorned  with 
an  air  of  perfect  elegance:  the  scenery,  if  I  may  use  such  an 
expression,  appeared  to  the  sight  harmonious. 

I  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  next  day  in  walking  about  the 
town,  and  visiting  different  people.  The  town  is  of  considerable 
size,  and  is  said  to  contain  20,000  inhabitants ;  the  streets  are 
very  clean  and  regular.  Although  the  island  has  been  so  many 
years  under  the  English  government,  the  general  character  of 
the  place  is  quite  French :  Englishmen  speak  to  their  servants 
in  French,  and  the  shops  are  all  French  ;  indeed  I  should  think 
that  Calais  or  Boulogne  was  much  more  Anglified.  There  is  a 


484  MAURITIUS.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

very  pretty  little  theatre,  in  which  operas  are  excellently  per- 
formed. We  were  also  surprised  at  seeing  large  booksellers' 
shops,  with  well-stored  shelves ; — music  and  reading  bespeak  OUT 
approach  to  the  old  world  of  civilization ;  for  in  truth  both  Aus- 
tralia and  America  are  new  worlds. 

The  various  races  of  men  walking  in  the  streets  afford  the 
most  interesting  spectacle  in  Port  Louis.  Convicts  from  India 
are  banished  here  for  life  ;  at  present  there  are  about  800,  and 
they  are  employed  in  various  public  works.  Before  seeing  these 
people,  I  had  no  idea  that  the  inhabitants  of  India  were  such 
noble-looking  figures.  Their  skin  is  extremely  dark,  and  many 
of  the  older  men  had  large  mustaches  and  beards  of  a  snow-white 
colour;  this,  together  with  the  fire  of  their  expression,  gave 
them  quite  an  imposing  aspect.  The  greater  number  had  been 
banished  for  murder  and  the  worst  crimes ;  others  for  causes 
which  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  moral  faults,  such  as  for  not 
obeying,  from  superstitious  motives,  the  English  laws.  These 
men  are  generally  quiet  and  well  conducted  ;  from  their  outward 
conduct,  their  cleanliness,  and  faithful  observance  of  their 
strange  religious  rites,  it  was  impossible  to  look  at  them  with 
the  same  eyes  as  on  our  wretched  convicts  in  New  South  Wales. 

May  1st. — Sunday.  I  took  a  quiet  walk  along  the  sea-coast 
to  the  north  of  the  town.  The  plain  in  this  part  is  quite  uncul- 
tivated ;  it  consists  of  a  field  of  black  lava,  smoothed  over  with 
coarse  grass  and  bushes,  the  latter  being  chiefly  Mimosas.  The 
scenery  may  be  described  as  intermediate  in  character  between 
that  of  the  Galapagos  and  of  Tahiti ;  but  this  will  convey  a 
definite  idea  to  very  few  persons.  It  is  a  very  pleasant  country, 
but  it  has  not  the  charms  of  Tahiti,  or  the  grandeur  of  Brazil. 
The  next  day  I  ascended  La  Pouce,  a  mountain  so  called  from  a 
thumb-like  projection,  which  rises  close  behind  the  town  to  a 
height  of  2600  feet.  The  centre  of  the  island  consists  of  a  great 
platform,  surrounded  by  old  broken  basaltic  mountains,  with  theii 
strata  dipping  seawards.  The  central  platform,  formed  of  com- 
paratively recent  streams  of  lava,  is  of  an  oval  shape,  thirteen 
geographical  miles  across,  in  the  line  of  its  shorter  axis.  The 
exterior  bounding  mountains  come  into  that  class  of  structures 
called  Craters  of  Elevation,  which  are  supposed  to  have  b«»en 
formed  not  like  ordinary  craters,  but  by  a  great  and  suddeo 


1836.]  MAURITIUS.  485 

upheaval.  There  appears  to  me  to  be  insuperable  objections  to 
this  view  :  on  the  other  hand,  I  can  hardly  believe,  in  this  and 
in  some  other  cases,  that  these  marginal  crateriform  mountains 
are  merely  the  basal  remnants  of  immense  volcanos,  of  which 
the  summits  either  have  been  blown  off,  or  swallowed  up  in 
subterranean  abysses. 

From  our  elevated  position  we  enjoyed  an  excellent  view  over 
the  island.  The  country  on  this  side  appears  pretty  well  culti- 
vated, being  divided  into  fields  and  studded  with  farm-houses. 
I  was  however  assured  that  of  the  whole  land,  not  more  than 
half  is  yet  in  a  productive  state  ;  if  such  be  th#case,  considering 
the  present  large  export  of  sugar,  this  island,  at  some  future 
period  when  thickly  peopled,  will  be  of  great  value.  Since 
England  has  taken  possession  of  it,  a  period  of  only  twenty-five 
years,  the  export  of  sugar  is  said  to  have  increased  seventy-five 
fold.  One  great  cause  of  its  prosperity  is  the  excellent  state  of 
the  roads.  In  the  neighbouring  Isle  of  Bourbon,  which  remains 
under  the  French  government,  the  roads  are  still  in  the  same 
miserable  state  as  they  were  here  only  a  few  years  ago.  Al- 
though the  French  residents  must  have  largely  profited  by  the 
increased  prosperity  of  their  island,  yet  the  English  government 
is  far  from  popular. 

3rd. — In  the  evening  Captain  Lloyd,  the  Surveyor-general, 
so  well  known  from  his  examination  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
invited  Mr.  Stokes  and  myself  to  his  country-house,  which  is 
situated  on  the  edge  of  Wilheim  Plains,  and  about  six  miles  from 
the  Port.  We  staid  at  this  delightful  place  two  days ;  standing 
nearly  800  feet  above  the  sea,  the  air  was  cool  and  fresh,  and 
on  every  side  there  were  delightful  walks.  Close  by,  a  grand 
ravine  has  been  worn  to  a  depth  of  about  500  feet  through  the 
slightly  inclined  streams  of  lava,  which  have  flowed  from  the 
central  platform. 

otfi.— Captain  Lloyd  took  us  to  the  Riviere  Noire,  which  is 
several  miles  to  the  southward,  that  I  might  examine  some  rocks 
of  elevated  coral.  We  passed  through  pleasant  gardens,  and 
fine  fields  of  sugar-cane  growing  amidst  huge  blocks  of  lava. 
The  roads  were  bordered  by  hedges  of  Mimosa,  and  near  many 
of  the  houses  there  were  avenues  of  the  mango.  Some  of  the 
views,  where  the  peaked  hills  and  the  cultivated  farms  were  seen 


486  ST.   HELENA.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

together,  were  exceedingly  picturesque  ;  and  we  were  constantly 
tempted  to  exclaim,  "  How  pleasant  it  would  be  to  pass  one's 
life  in  such  quiet  abodes !"  Captain  Lloyd  possessed  an  ele- 
phant, and  he  sent  it  half  way  with  us,  that  we  might  enjoy  a 
ride  in  true  Indian  fashion.  The  circumstance  which  surprised 
me  most  was  its  quite  noiseless  step.  This  elephant  is  the  only 
one  at  present  on  the  island  ;  but  it  is  said  others  will  be  sent  for. 

May  9th. — We  sailed  from  Port  Louis,  and,  calling  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on  the  8th  of  July  we  arrived  off  St. 
Helena.  This  island,  the  forbidding  aspect  of  which  has  been 
so  often  described,  rises  abruptly  like  a  huge  black  castle  from 
the  ocean.  Near  the  town,  as  if  to  complete  nature's  de- 
fence, small  forts  and  guns  fill  up  every  gap  in  the  rugged 
rocks.  The  town  runs  up  a  flat  and  narrow  valley ;  the  houses 
look  respectable,  and  are  interspersed  with  a  very  few  green 
trees.  When  approaching  the  anchorage  there  was  one  striking 
view :  an  irregular  castle  perched  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill, 
and  surrounded  by  a  few  scattered  fir-trees,  boldly  projected 
against  the  sky. 

The  next  day  I  obtained  lodgings  within  a  stone's  throw  ot 
iVapoleon's  tomb  :*  it  was  a  capital  central  situation,  whence  I 
could  make  excursions  in  every  direction.  During  the  four 
days  I  staid  here,  I  wandered  over  the  island  from  morning  to 
night,  and  examined  its  geological  history.  My  lodgings  were 
situated  at  a  height  of  about  2000  feet ;  here  the  weather  was 
cold  and  boisterous,  with  constant  showers  of  rain ;  and  every 
now  and  then  the  whole  scene  was  veiled  in  thick  clouds. 

Near  the  coast  the  rough  lava  is  quite  bare :  in  the  central 
and  higher  parts,  feldspathic  rocks  by  their  decomposition  have 
produced  a  clayey  soil,  which,  where  not  covered  by  vegetation, 
is  stained  in  broad  bands  of  many  bright  colours.  At  this 
season,  the  land  moistened  by  constant  showers,  produces  a  sin- 
gularly bright  green  pasture,  which  lower  and  lower  down,  gra- 
dually fades  away  and  at  last  disappears.  In  latitude  16°,  and 

*  After  the  volumes  of  eloquence  which  have  poured  forth  on  this  subject 
it  is  dangerous  even  to  mention  the  tomb,  A  modern  traveller,  in  twelva 
tines,  burdens  the  poor  little  island  with  the  following  titles, — it  is  a  grave, 
tornb,  pyramid,  cemetery,  sepulchre,  catacomb,  sarcophagus,  minaret,  anJ 
mausoleum ! 


1836.]  ITS  APPEARANCE.  487 

at  the  trifling  elevation  of  1500  feet,  it  is  surprising  to  behold  a 
vegetation  possessing  a  character  decidedly  British.  The  hilb 
are  crowned  with  irregular  plantations  of  Scotch  firs ;  and  the 
sloping  banks  are  thickly  scattered  over  with  thickets  of  gorse, 
covered  with  its  bright  yellow  flowers.  Weeping-willows  are 
common  on  the  banks  of  the  rivulets,  and  the  hedges  are  made 
of  the  blackberry,  producing  its  well-known  fruit.  When  we 
consider  that  the  number  of  plants  now  found  on  the  island  is 
746,  and  that  out  of  these  fifty-two  alone  are  indigenous  species, 
the  rest  having  been  imported,  and  most  of  them  from  England, 
we  see  the  reason  of  the  British  character  of  the  vegetation. 
Many  of  these  English  plants  appear  to  flourish  better  than  in 
their  native  country ;  some  also  from  the  opposite  quarter  of 
Australia  succeed  remarkably  well.  The  many  imported  species 
must  have  destroyed  some  of  the  native  kinds ;  and  it  is  only  on 
the  highest  and  steepest  ridges,  that  the  indigenous  Flora  is 
now  predominant. 

The  English,  or  rather  Welsh  character  of  the  scenery,  is 
kept  up  by  the  numerous  cottages  and  small  white  houses; 
some  buried  at  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  valleys,  and  others 
mounted  on  the  crests  of  the  lofty  hills.  Some  of  the  views  are 
striking,  for  instance  that  from  near  Sir  W.  Doveton's  house, 
where  the  bold  peak  called  Lot  is  seen  over  a  dark  wood  of  firs, 
the  whole  being  backed  by  the  red  water-worn  mountains  of  the 
southern  coast.  On  viewing  the  island  from  an  eminence,  the 
first  circumstance  which  strikes  one,  is  the  number  of  the  roads 
and  forts  :  the  labour  bestowed  on  the  public  works,  if  one  for- 
gets its  character  as  a  prison,  seems  out  of  all  proportion  to  its 
extent  or  value.  There  is  so  little  level  or  useful  land,  that  it 
seems  surprising  how  so  many  people,  about  5000,  can  subsist 
here.  The  lower  orders,  or  the  emancipated  slaves,  are  I  be- 
lieve extremely  poor :  they  complain  of  the  want  of  work.  From 
the  reduction  in  the  number  of  public  servants,  owing  to  the 
island  having  been  given  up  by  the  East  India  Company,  and 
the  consequent  emigration  of  many  of  the  richer  people,  the  po- 
verty probably  will  increase.  The  chief  food  of  the  working 
class  is  rice  with  a  little  salt  meat ;  as  neither  of  these  articles 
are  the  products  of  the  island,  but  must  be  purchased  with 
money,  the  low  wages  tell  heavily  on  the  poor  people.  Now 
S3 


488  ST.   HELENA.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

that  the  people  are  blessed  with  freedom,  a  right  which  I  believe 
they  value  fully,  it  seems  probable  that  their  numbers  will 
quickly  increase :  if  so,  what  is  to  become  of  the  little  state  of 
St.  Helena? 

My  guide  was  an  elderly  man,  who  had  been  a  goatherd  when 
a  boy,  and  knew  every  step  amongst  the  rocks.  He  was  of  a 
race  itany  times  crossed,  and  although  with  a  dusky  skin,  he  had 
not  the  disagreeable  expression  of  a  mulatto.  He  was  a  very 
civil,  quiet  old  man,  and  such  appears  the  character  of  the 
greater  number  of  the  lower  classes.  It  was  strange  to  my  ears 
to  hear  a  man,  nearly  white  and  respectably  dressed,  talking 
with  indifference  of  the  times  when  he  was  a  slave.  With  my 
companion,  who  carried  our  dinners  and  a  horn  of  water,  whiih 
is  quite  necessary,  as  all  the  water  in  the  lower  valleys  is  saline, 
I  every  day  took  long  walks. 

Beneath  the  upper  and  central  green  circle,  the  wild  valleys 
are  quite  desolate  and  untenanted.  Here,  to  the  geologist, 
there  were  scenes  of  high  interest,  showing  successive  changes 
and  complicated  disturbances.  According  to  my  views,  St. 
Helena  has  existed  as  an  island  from  a  very  remote  epoch : 
some  obscure  proofs,  however,  of  the  elevation  of  the  land  are 
still  extant.  I  believe  that  the  central  and  highest  peaks  form 
parts  of  the  rim  of  a  great  crater,  the  southern  half  of  which 
has  been  entirely  removed  by  the  waves  of  the  sea :  there  is, 
moreover,  an  external  wall  of  black  basaltic  rocks,  like  the 
coast-mountains  of  Mauritius,  which  are  older  than  the  central 
volcanic  streams.  On  the  higher  parts  of  the  island,  con- 
siderable numbers  of  a  shell,  long  thought  a  marine  species, 
occur  embedded  in  the  soil.  It  proves  to  be  a  Cochlogena, 
or  land-shell  of  a  very  peculiar  form  ;  *  with  it  I  found  six 
other  kinds;  and  in  another  spot  an  eighth  species.  It  is 
remarkable  that  none  of  them  are  now  found  living.  Their 
extinction  has  probably  been  caused  by  the  entire  destruction 
of  the  woods,  and  the  consequent  loss  of  food  and  shelter, 
which  occurred  during  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 

The   history  of  the   changes,  which   the   elevated  plains  of 

*  It  deserves  notice,  that  all  the  many  specimens  of  this  shell  found  by 
me  in  one  spot,  differ,  as  a  marked  variety,  from  another  set  of  specuueiif 
procured  from  a  different  spot 


1836.]  CHANGES  IN   THE   VEGETATION.  489 

Longwood  and  Deadwood  have  undergone,  as  given  in  General 
Beatson's  account  of  the  island,  is  extremely  curious.  Both 
plains,  it  is  said,  in  former  times  were  covered  with  wood,  and 
were  therefore  called  the  Great  Wood.  So  late  as  the  year 
1716  there  were  many  trees,  but  in  1724  the  old  trees  had 
mostly  fallen  ;  and  as  goats  and  hogs  had  been  suffered  to  range 
about,  all  the  young  trees  had  been  killed.  It  appears  also 
from  the  official  records,  that  the  trees  were  unexpectedly,  some 
years  afterwards,  succeeded  by  a  wire  grass,  which  spread  over  the 
whole  surface.*  General  Beatson  adds  that  now  this  plain  "  is 
covered  with  fine  sward,  and  is  become  the  finest  piece  of  pas- 
ture on  the  island."  The  extent  of  surface,  probably  covered 
by  wood  at  a  former  period,  is  estimated  at  no  less  than  two 
thousand  acres  ;  at  the  present  day  scarcely  a  single  tree  can  be 
found  there.  It  is  also  said  that  in  1709  there  were  quantities 
of  dead  trees  in  Sandy  Bay  ;  this  place  is  now  so  utterly  desert, 
that  nothing  but  so  well  attested  an  account  could  have  made  me 
believe  that  they  could  ever  have  grown  there.  The  fact,  that 
the  goats  and  hogs  destroyed  all  the  young  trees  as  they  sprang 
up,  and  that  in  the  course  of  time  the  old  ones,  which  were  safe 
from  their  attacks,  perished  from  age,  seems  clearly  made  out. 
Goats  were  introduced  in  the  year  1502;  eighty-six  years  after- 
wards, in  the  time  of  Cavendish,  it  is  known  that  they  were  ex- 
ceedingly numerous.  More  than  a  century  afterwards,  in  1731, 
when  the  evil  was  complete  and  irretrievable,  an  order  was 
issued  that  all  stray  animals  should  be  destroyed.  It  is  very 
interesting  thus  to  find,  that  the  arrival  of  animals  at  St.  Helena 
in  1501,  did  not  change  the  whole  aspect  of  the  island,  until  a 
period  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  years  had  elapsed :  for  the 
goats  were  introduced  in  1502,  and  in  1724  it  is  said  "  the  old 
trees  had  mostly  fallen."  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this 
great  change  in  the  vegetation  affected  not  only  the  land-shells, 
causing  eight  species  to  become  extinct,  but  likewise  a  multitude 
of  insects. 

St.  Helena,  situated  so   remote   from  any  continent,  in  the 

midst  of  a  great  ocean,  and  possessing  a  unique  Flora,  excites 

our  curiosity.     The  eight  land-shells,  though  now  extinct,  and 

one  living  Succinea,  are  peculiar  species  found  nowhere  else. 

*  Beatson's  St.  Helena.     Introductory  chapter,  p.  4. 


490  ST.   HELENA.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

Mr.  Curaing,  however,  informs  me  that  an  English  Helix  is 
common  here,  its  eggs  no  doubt  having  been  imported  in  some 
of  the  many  introduced  plants.  Mr.  Cuming  collected  on  the 
coast  sixteen  species  of  sea-shells,  of  which  seven,  as  far  as  he 
knows,  are  confined  to  this  island.  Birds  and  insects,*  as  might 
have  been  expected,  are  very  few  in  number ;  indeed  I  believe 
all  the  birds  have  been  introduced  within  late  years.  Partridges 
and  pheasants  are  tolerably  abundant :  the  island  is  much  too 
English  not  to  be  subject  to  strict  game-laws.  I  was  told  of  a 
more  unjust  sacrifice  to  such  ordinances  than  I  ever  heard  of 
even  in  England.  The  poor  people  formerly  used  to  burn  a 
plant,  which  grows  on  the  coast-rocks,  and  export  the  soda  from 
its  ashes ;  but  a  peremptory  order  came  out  prohibiting  this 
practice,  and  giving  as  a  reason  that  the  partridges  would  have 
nowhere  to  build ! 

*  Among  these  few  insects,  I  was  surprised  to  find  a  small  Aphodius  (nov 
spec.)  and  an  Oryctes,  both  extremely  numerous  under  dung.  When  the 
island  was  discovered  it  certainly  possessed  no  quadruped,  excepting  perhaps 
a  mouse :  it  becomes,  therefore,  a  difficult  point  to  ascertain,  whether  these 
stercovorous  insects  have  since  been  imported  by  accident,  or  if  aborigines, 
on  what  food  they  formerly  subsisted.  On  the  banks  of  the  Plata,  where, 
from  the  vast  number  of  cattle  and  horses,  the  fine  plains  of  turf  are  richly 
manured,  it  is  vain  to  seek  the  many  kinds  of  dung-feeding  beetles,  which 
occur  so  abundantly  in  Europe.  1  observed  only  an  Oryctes  (the  insects  of 
this  genus  in  Europe  generally  feed  on  decayed  vegetable  matter)  and  two 
species  of  Phanseus,  common  in  such  situations.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Cordillera  in  Chiloe,  another  species  of  Phanams  is  exceedingly  abundant, 
and  it  buries  the  dung  of  the  cattle  in  large  earthen  balls  beneath  the  ground. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  genus  Phanseus,  before  the  introduction 
of  cattle,  acted  as  scavengers  to  man.  In  Europe,  beetles,  which  find  support 
in  the  matter  which  has  already  contributed  towards  the  life  of  other  and 
larger  animals,  are  so  numerous,  that  there  must  be  considerably  more  than 
one  hundred  different  species.  Considering  this,  and  observing  what  a 
quantity  of  food  of  this  kind  is  lost  on  the  plains  of  La  Plata,  I  imagined  1 
saw  an  instance  where  man  had  disturbed  that  chain,  by  which  so  many 
animals  are  linked  together  in  their  native  country.  In  Van  Diemen's  Land, 
however,  I  found  four  species  of  Onthophagus,  two  of  Aphodius,  and  one  of 
a  third  genus,  very  abundant  under  the  dung  of  cows ;  yet  these  latter 
animals  had  been  then  introduced  only  thirty-three  years.  Previously  to 
that  time,  the  Kangaroo  and  some  other  small  animals  were  the  only  quad- 
rupeds ;  and  their  dung  is  of  a  very  different  quality  from  that  of  their  suc- 
cessors introduced  by  man.  In  England  the  greater  number  of  stercovorous 
beetles  are  confined  in  their  appetites ;  that  is,  they  do  not  depend  indiffer- 
ently on  any  quadruped  for  the  means  of  subsistence.  The  change,  there- 
fore, in  habits,  which  must  have  taken  place  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  is 
highly  remarkable.  I  am  indebted  to  the  Eev.  F.  W.  Hope,  who,  I  hope, 
will  permit  me  to  call  him  my  master  in  Entomology,  for  giving  me  thf 
names  of  the  foregoing  insects. 


1836.]  ST.   HELENA— ASCENSION.  49] 

In  my  walks  I  passed  more  than  once  over  the  grassy  plain, 
bounded  by  deep  valleys,  on  which  Longwood  stands.  Viewed 
from  a  short  distance,  it  appears  like  a  respectable  gentleman's 
country-seat.  In  front  there  are  a  few  cultivated  fields,  and 
beyond  them  the  smooth  hill  of  coloured  rocks  called  the  Flag- 
staff, and  the  rugged  square  black  mass  of  the  Barn.  On  the 
whole  the  view  was  rather  bleak  and  uninteresting.  The  only 
inconvenience  I  suffered  during  my  walks  was  from  the  impe- 
tuous winds.  One  day  I  noticed  a  curious  circumstance :  stand- 
ing on  the  edge  of  a  plain,  terminated  by  a  great  cliff  of  about  a 
thousand  feet  in  depth,  I  saw  at  the  distance  of  a  few  yards 
right  to  windward,  some  tern,  struggling  against  a  very  strong 
breeze,  whilst,  where  I  stood,  the  air  was  quite  calm.  Ap- 
proaching close  to  the  brink,  where  the  current  seemed  to  be 
deflected  upwards  from  the  face  of  the  cliff,  I  stretched  out  my 
arm,  and  immediately  felt  the  full  force  of  the  wind  :  an  invisible 
barrier,  two  yards  in  width,  separated  perfectly  calm  air  from  a 
strong  blast. 

I  so  much  enjoyed  my  rambles  among  the  rocks  and  moun- 
tains of  St.  Helena,  that  I  felt  almost  sorry  on  the  morning  of 
the  14th  to  descend  to  the  town.  Before  noon  I  was  on  board, 
and  the  Beagle  made  sail. 

On  the  19th  of  July  we  reached  Ascension.  Those  who  have 
beheld  a  volcanic  island,  situated  under  an  arid  climate,  will  at 
once  be  able  to  picture  to  themselves  the  appearance  of  Ascen- 
sion. They  will  imagine  smooth  conical  hills  of  a  bright  red 
colour,  with  their  summits  generally  truncated,  rising  separately 
out  of  a  level  surface  of  black  rugged  lava.  A  principal  mound 
in  the  centre  of  the  island,  seems  the  father  of  the  lesser  cones. 
It  is  called  Green  Hill ;  its  name  being  taken  from  the  faintest 
tinge  of  that  colour,  which  at  this  time  of  the  year  is  barely 
perceptible  from  the  anchorage.  To  complete  the  desolate  scene, 
the  black  rocks  on  the  coast  are  lathed  by  a  wild  and  turbulent 
sea. 

The  settlement  is  near  the  beach  ;  it  consists  of  several  houses 
and  barracks  placed  irregularly,  but  well  built  of  white  free- 
stone. The  only  inhabitants  are  marines,  and  some  negroes 
liberated  from  slave-ships,  who  are  paid  and  victualled  by  govern- 


492  ASCENSION.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

nient.  There  is  not  a  private  person  on  the  island.  Many  of 
the  marines  appeared  well  contented  with  their  situation  ;  they 
think  it  better  to  serve  their  one-and-twenty  years  on  shore,  let 
it  be  what  it  may,  than  in  a  ship ;  in  this  choice,  if  I  were  a 
marine,  I  should  most  heartily  agree. 

The  next  morning  I  ascended  Green  Hill,  2840  feet  high, 
and  thence  walked  across  the  island  to  the  windward  point.  A 
good  cart-road  leads  from  the  coast-settlement  to  the  houses, 
gardens,  and  fields,  placed  near  the  summit  of  the  central  moun- 
tain. On  the  roadside  there  are  milestones,  and  likewise  cis- 
terns, where  each  thirsty  passer-by  can  drink  some  good  water. 
Similar  care  is  displayed  in  each  part  of  the  establishment,  and 
especially  in  the  management  of  the  springs,  so  that  a  single 
drop  of  water  may  not  be  lost :  indeed  the  whole  island  may  be 
compared  to  a  huge  ship  kept  in  first-rate  order.  I  could  not 
help,  when  admiring  the  active  industry  which  had  created  such 
effects  out  of  such  means,  at  the  same  time  regretting  that  it  had 
been  wasted  on  so  poor  and  trifling  an  end.  M.  Lesson  has 
remarked  with  justice,  that  the  English  nation  alone  would  have 
thought  of  making  the  island  of  Ascension  a  productive  spot ; 
any  other  people  would  have  held  it  as  a  mere  fortress  in  the 
ocean. 

Near  this  coast  nothing  grows ;  further  inland,  an  occasional 
green  castor- oil  plant,  and  a  few  grasshoppers,  true  friends  of 
the  desert,  may  be  met  with.  Some  grass  is  scattered  over  the 
surface  of  the  central  elevated  region,  and  the  whole  much  re- 
sembles the  worse  parts  of  the  Welsh  mountains.  But  scanty  as 
the  pasture  appears,  about  six  hundred  sheep,  many  goats,  a  few 
cows  and  horses,  all  thrive  well  on  itt  Of  native  animals,  land- 
crabs  and  rats  swarm  in  numbers.  Whether  the  rat  is  really 
indigenous,  may  well  be  doubted ;  there  are  two  varieties  as  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Waterhouse ;  one  is  of  a  black  colour,  with  fine 
glossy  fur,  and  lives  on  the  grassy  summit ;  the  other  is  brown- 
coloured  and  less  glossy,  with  longer  hairs,  and  lives  near  the 
settlement  on  the  coast.  Both  these  varieties  are  one-third 
smaller  than  the  common  black  rat  (M.  rattus)  ;  and  they  differ 
from  it  both  in  the  colour  and  character  of  their  fur,  but  in  no 
other  essential  respect.  I  can  hardly  doubt  that  these  rats  (like 
the  common  mouse,  which  has  also  run  wild)  have  been  imported, 


1836.]  VOLCANIC   BOMBS. 


and,  as  at  the  Galapagos,  have  varied  from  the  effect  of  the  new 
conditions  to  which  they  have  been  exposed  :  hence  the  variety 
on  the  summit  of  the  island  differs  from  that  on  the  coast.  Of 
native  birds  there  are  none ;  but  the  guinea-fowl,  imported  from 
the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  is  abundant,  and  the  common  fowl 
lias  likewise  run  wild.  Some  cats,  which  were  originally  turned 
out  to  destroy  the  rats  and  m'.ce,  have  increased,  so  as  to  become 
a  great  plague.  The  island  is  entirely  without  trees,  in  which, 
and  in  every  other  respect,  it  is  very  far  inferior  to  St.  Helena. 

One  of  my  excursions  took  me  towards  the  S.W.  extremity  of 
the  island.  The  day  was  clear  and  hot,  and  I  saw  the  island, 
not  smiling  with  beauty,  but  staring  with  naked  hideousness. 
The  lava  streams  are  covered  with  hummocks,  and  are  rugged 
to  a  degree  which,  geologically  speaking,  is  not  of  easy  expla- 
nation. The  intervening  spaces  are  concealed  with  layers  of 
pumice,  ashes,  and  volcanic  tuff.  Whilst  passing  this  end  of  the 
island  at  sea,  I  could  not  imagine  what  the  white  patches  were 
with  which  the  whole  plain  was  mottled  ;  I  now  found  that  they 
were  seafowl,  sleeping  in  such  full  confidence,  that  even  in  mid- 
day a  man  could  walk  up  and  seize  hold  of  them.  These  birds 
were  the  only  living  creatures  I  saw  during  the  whole  day. 
On  the  beach  a  great  surf,  although  the  breeze  was  light,  came 
tumbling  over  the  broken  lava  rocks. 

The  geology  of  this  island  is  in  many  respects  interesting. 
In  several  places  I  noticed  volcanic  bombs,  that  is,  masses  of  lava 
which  have  been  shot  through  the  air  whilst  fluid,  and  have  con- 
sequently assumed  a  spherical  or  pear-shape.  Not  only  their  ex- 
ternal form,  but,  in  several  cases,  their  internal  structure  shows  in 
a  very  curious  manner  that  they  have  revolved  in  their  aerial  course. 
The  internal  structure  of  one  of  these  bombs,  when  broken,  is 
represented  very  accurately  in  the  woodcut  on  the  next  page. 
The  central  part  is  coarsely  cellular,  the  cells  decreasing  in  size 
towards  the  exterior ;  where  there  is  a  shell-like  case  about  the 
third  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  of  compact  stone,  which  again  is 
overlaid  by  the  outside  crust  of  finely  cellular  lava.  I  think 
there  can  be  little  doubt,  first,  that  the  external  crust  cooled 
rapidly  in  the  state  in  which  we  now  see  it;  secondly,  that  the 
still  fluid  lava  within,  was  packed  by  the  centrifugal  force,  gene- 
rated by  the  revolving  of  the  bomb,  against  the  external  cooled 


494  ASCENSION.  [CHAP.  xxi. 


crust,  and  so  produced  the  solid  shell  of  stone ;  and  lastly,  that 
the  centrifugal  force,  by  relieving  the  pressure  in  the  more 
central  parts  of  the  bomb,  allowed  the  heated  vapours  to  ex- 
pand their  cells,  thus  forming  the  coarsely  cellular  mass  of  the 
centre. 

A  hill,  formed  of  the  older  series  of  volcanic  rocks,  and  which 
has  been  incorrectly  considered  as  the  crater  of  a  volcano,  is  re- 
markable from  its  broad,  slightly  hollowed,  and  circular  summit 
having  been  filled  up  with  many  successive  layers  of  ashes  and 
fine  scoriae.  These  saucer-shaped  layers  crop  out  on  the  mar- 
gin, forming  perfect  rings  of  many  different  colours,  giving  to 
the  summit  a  most  fantastic  appearance ;  one  of  these  rings  is 
white  and  broad,  and  resembles  a  course  round  which  horses 
have  been  exercised ;  hence  the  hill  has  been  called  the  Devil's 
Riding  School.  I  brought  away  specimens  of  one  of  the  tufa- 
ceous  layers  of  a  pinkish  colour ;  and  it  is  a  most  extraordinary 
fact,  that  Profsssor  Ehrenberg  *  finds  it  almost  whoa/  composed 
of  matter  which  has  been  organized  :  he  detects  in  it  some  silice- 
ous-shielded, fresh- water  infusoria,  and  no  less  than  twenty-five 
different  kinds  of  the  siliceous  tissue  of  plants,  chiefly  of  grasses. 
*  Mocats.  der  Koufg.  Akad.  d.  Wiss.  zu  Berlin.  Vom  April,  1845 


1836.]  BAHIA,    BRAZIL. 


495 


From  the  absence  of  all  carbonaceous  matter,  Professor  Eliren- 
berg  believes  that  these  organic  bodies  have  passed  through  the 
volcanic  fire,  and  have  been  erupted  in  the  state  in  which  we 
now  see  them.  The  appearance  of  the  layers  induced  me  to 
believe  that  they  had  been  deposited  under  water,  though  from 
the  extreme  dryness  of  the  climate  I  was  forced  to  imagine,  that 
torrents  of  rain  had  probably  fallen  during  some  great  eruption, 
and  that  thus  a  temporary  lake  had  been  formed,  into  which  the 
ashes  fell.  But  it  may  now  be  suspected  that  the  lake  was  not  a 
temporary  one.  Anyhow,  we  may  feel  sure,  that  at  some  former 
epoch,  the  climate  and  productions  of  Ascension  were  very  dif- 
ferent from  what  they  now  are.  Where  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
can  we  find  a  spot,  on  which  close  investigation  will  not  discover 
signs  of  that  endless  cycle  of  change,  to  which  this  earth  has 
been,  is,  and  will  be  subjected  ? 

On  leaving  Ascension  we  sailed  for  Bahia,  on  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  in  order  to  complete  the  chronometrical  measurement  of 
the  world.  We  arrived  there  on  August  1st,  and  stayed  four 
days,  during  which  I  took  several  long  walks.  I  was  glad  to 
find  my  enjoyment  in  tropical  scenery  had  not  decreased  from  the 
want  of  novelty,  even  in  the  slightest  degree.  The  elements  of 
the  scenery  are  so  simple,  that  they  are  worth  mentioning,  as  a 
proof  on  what  trifling  circumstances  exquisite  natural  beauty 
depends. 

The  country  may  be  described  as  a  level  plain  of  about  three 
hundred  feet  in  elevation,  which  in  all  parts  has  been  worn  into 
flat-bottomed  valleys.  This  structure  is  remarkable  in  a  granitic 
land,  but  is  nearly  universal  in  all  those  softer  formations  of 
which  plains  are  usually  composed.  The  whole  surface  is  covered 
by  various  kinds  of  stately  trees,  interspersed  with  patches  of 
cultivated  ground,  out  of  which  houses,  convents,  and  chapels 
arise.  It  must  be  remembered  that  within  the  tropics,  the  wild 
luxuriance  of  nature  is  not  lost  even  in  the  vicinity  of  large 
cities ;  for  the  natural  vegetation  of  the  hedges  and  hill-sides 
overpowers  in  picturesque  effect  the  artificial  labour  of  man. 
Hence,  there  are  only  a  few  spots  where  the  bright  red  soil 
affords  a  strong  contrast  with  the  universal  clothing  of  green. 
From  the  edges  of  the  plain  there  are  distant  views  either  of 
the  ocean,  or  of  the  great  Bay  with  its  low-wooded  shores,  and 


496  BAHIA,   BRAZIL.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

on  which  numerous  boats  and  canoes  show  their  white  sails. 
Excepting  from  these  points,  the  scene  is  extremely  limited  ; 
following  the  level  pathways,  on  each  hand,  only  glimpses  into  the 
wooded  valleys  below  can  be  obtained.  The  houses,  I  may  add, 
and  especially  the  sacred  edifices,  are  built  in  a  peculiar  and 
rather  fantastic  style  of  architecture.  They  are  all  whitewashed  ; 
so  that  when  illumined  by  the  brilliant  sun  of  midday,  and  as 
seen  against  the  pale  blue  sky  of  the  horizon,  they  stand  out  more 
like  shadows  than  real  buildings. 

Such  are  the  elements  of  the  scenery,  but  it  is  a  hopeless  attempt 
to  paint  the  general  effect.  Learned  naturalists  describe  these 
scenes  of  the  tropics  by  naming  a  multitude  of  objects,  and  men- 
tioning some  characteristic  feature  of  each.  To  a  learned 
traveller  this  possibly  may  communicate  some  definite  ideas :  but 
who  else  from  seeing  a  plant  in  an  herbarium  can  imagine  its 
appearance  when  growing  in  its  native  soil  ?  Who  from  seeing 
choice  plants  in  a  hothouse,  can  magnify  some  into  the  dimen- 
sions of  forest  trees,  and  crowd  others  into  an  entangled  jungle  ? 
Who  when  examining  in  the  cabinet  of  the  entomologist  the  gay 
exotic  butterflies,  and  singular  cicadas,  will  associate  with  these 
lifeless  objects,  the  ceaseless  harsh  music  of  the  latter,  and  the 
lazy  flight  of  the  former, — the  sure  accompaniments  of  the  still, 
glowing  noonday  of  the  tropics?  It  is  when  the  sun  has 
attained  its  greatest  height,  that  such  scenes  should  be  viewed : 
then  the  dense  splendid  foliage  of  the  mango  hides  the  ground 
with  its  darkest  shade,  whilst  the  upper  branches  are  rendered 
from  the  profusion  of  light  of  the  most  brilliant  green.  In  the 
temperate  zones  the  case  is  different — the  vegetation  there  is  not 
so  dark  or  so  rich,  and  hence  the  rays  of  the  declining  sun,  tinged 
of  a  red,  purple,  or  bright  yellow  colour,  add  most  to  the  beauties 
of  those  climes. 

When  quietly  walking  along  the  shady  pathways,  and  admir- 
ing each  successive  view,  I  wished  to  find  language  to  express 
my  ideas.  Epithet  after  epithet  was  found  too  weak  to  convey 
to  those  who  have  not  visited  the  intertropical  regions,  the  sens- 
ation of  delight  which  the  mind  experiences.  I  have  said  that 
the  plants  in  a  hothouse  fail  to  communicate  a  just  idea  of  the 
vegetation,  yet  I  must  recur  to  it.  The  land  is  one  great  wild, 
untidy,  luxuriant  hothouse,  made  by  Nature  for  herself,  but  taken 


1836.]  TROPICAL   SCENERY.  497 

possession  of  by  man,  who  has  studded  it  with  gay  houses  and 
formal  gardens.  How  great  would  be  the  desire  in  every  ad- 
mirer of  nature  to  behold,  if  such  were  possible,  the  scenery  of 
another  planet !  yet  to  every  person  in  Europe,  it  may  be  truly 
said,  that  at  the  distance  of  only  a  few  degrees  from  his  native 
soil,  the  glories  of  another  world  are  opened  to  him.  In  my  last 
walk  I  stopped  again  and  again  to  gaze  on  these  beauties,  and 
endeavoured  to  fix  in  my  mind  for  ever,  an  impression  which  at 
the  time  I  knew  sooner  or  later  must  fail.  The  form  of  the 
orange-tree,  the  cocoa-nut,  the  palm,  the  mango,  the  tree-fern, 
the  banana,  will  remain  clear  and  separate ;  but  the  thousand 
beauties  which  unite  these  into  one  perfect  scene  must  fade 
away ;  yet  they  will  leave,  like  a  tale  heard  in  childhood,  a 
picture  full  of  indistinct,  but  most  beautiful  figures. 

August  6th. — In  the  afternoon  we  stood  out  to  sea,  with  the 
intention  of  making  a  direct  course  to  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands. 
Unfavourable  winds,  however,  delayed  us,  and  on  the  12th  we 
ran  into  Pernambuco, — a  large  city  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  in 
latitude  8°  south.  We  anchored  outside  the  reef;  but  in  a  short 
time  a  pilot  came  on  board  and  took  us  into  the  inner  harbour, 
where  we  lay  close  to  the  town. 

Pernambuco  is  built  on  some  narrow  and  low  sand-banks, 
which  are  separated  from  each  other  by  shoal  channels  of  salt 
water.  The  three  parts  of  the  town  are  connected  together  by 
two  long  bridges  built  on  wooden  piles.  The  town  is  in  all  parts 
disgusting,  the  streets  being  narrow,  ill-paved,  and  filthy  ;  the 
houses,  tall  and  gloomy.  The  season  of  heavy  rains  had  hardly 
come  to  an  end,  and  hence  the  surrounding  country,  which  is 
scarcely  raised  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  was  flooded  with 
water ;  and  I  failed  in  all  my  attempts  to  take  long  walks. 

The  flat  swampy  land  on  which  Pernambuco  stands  is  sur- 
rounded, at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  by  a  semicircle  of  low 
hills,  or  rather  by  the  edge  of  a  country  elevated  perhaps  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The  old  city  of  Olinda  stands  on 
one  extremity  of  this  range.  One  day  I  took  a  canoe,  and  pro- 
ceeded up  one  of  the  channels  to  visit  it ;  I  found  the  old  town 
from  its  situation  both  sweeter  and  cleaner  than  that  of  Pernam- 
buco. I  must  here  commemorate  what  happened  for  the  tirst 
time  during  our  nearly  five  years'  wandering,  namely,  having 


498  PERNAMBTTCO,   BRAZIL.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

met  with  a  want  of  politeness  :  I  was  refused  in  a  sullen  mannei 
at  two  different  houses,  and  obtained  with  difficulty  from  a  third, 
permission  to  pass  through  their  gardens  to  an  uncultivated  hill, 
for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  country.  I  feel  glad  that  this 
happened  in  the  land  of  the  Brazilians,  for  I  bear  them  no  good 
will — a  land  also  of  slavery,  and  therefore  of  moral  debasement. 
A  Spaniard  would  have  felt  ashamed  at  the  very  thought  of  re- 
fusing such  a  request,  or  of  behaving  to  a  stranger  with  rudeness. 
The  channel  by  which  we  went  to  and  returned  from  Olinda,  was 
bordered  on  each  side  by  mangroves,  which  sprang  like  a  minia- 
ture forest  out  of  the  greasy  mud-banks.  The  bright  green 
colour  of  these  bushes  always  reminded  me  of  the  rank  grass  in 
a  churchyard :  both  are  nourished  by  putrid  exhalations ;  the 
one  speaks  of  death  past,  and  the  other  too  often  of  death  to 
come. 

The  most  curious  object  which  I  saw  in  this  neighbourhood, 
was  the  reef  that  forms  the  harbour.  I  doubt  whether  in  the 
whole  world  any  other  natural  structure  has  so  artificial  an  ap- 
pearance.* It  runs  for  a  length  of  several  miles  in  an  absolutely 
straight  line,  parallel  to,  and  not  far  distant  from,  the  shore.  It 
varies  in  width  from  thirty  to  sixty  yards,  and  its  surface  is  level 
and  smooth ;  it  is  composed  of  obscurely-stratified  hard  sand- 
stone. At  high  water  the  waves  break  over  it ;  at  low  water  its 
summit  is  left  dry,  and  it  might  then  be  mistaken  for  a  break- 
water erected  by  Cyclopean  workmen.  On  this  coast  the  cur- 
rents of  the  sea  tend  to  throw  up  in  front  of  the  land,  long  spits 
and  bars  of  loose  sand,  and  on  one  of  these,  part  of  the  town 
of  Pernambuco  stands.  In  former  times  a  long  spit  of  this 
nature  seems  to  have  become  consolidated  by  the  percolation  of 
calcareous  matter,  and  afterwards  to  have  been  gradually  up- 
heaved ;  the  outer  and  loose  parts  during  this  process  having  been 
worn  away  by  the  action  of  the  sea,  and  the  solid  nucleus  left  as 
we  now  see  it.  Although  night  and  day  the  waves  of  the  open 
Atlantic,  turbid  with  sediment,  are  driven  against  the  steep  out- 
side edges  of  this  wall  of  stone,  yet  the  oldest  pilots  know  of  no 
tradition  of  any  change  in  its  appearance.  This  durability  is 
much  the  most  curious  fact  in  its  history  :  it  is  due  to  a  tough 

*  I  have  described  this  Bar  in  detail,  in  the  Lend,  and  Edin.  Phil.  Mag.. 
ro,.  xix.  (1841),  p.  257 


1836.]  SLAVERY. 


layer,  a  few  inches  thick,  of  calcareous  matter,  wholly  formed  by 
the  successive  growth  and  death  of  the  small  shells  of  Serpulae, 
together  with  some  few  barnacles  and  nulliporae.  These  nulli- 
boras,  which  are  hard,  very  simply-organized  sea-plants,  play  an 
analogous  and  important  part  in  protecting  the  upper  surfaces  of 
coral-reefs,  behind  and  within  the  breakers,  where  the  true  corals, 
during  the  outward  growth  of  the  mass,  become  killed  by  ex- 
posure to  the  sun  and  air.  These  insignificant  organic  beings, 
i specially  the  Serpulae,  have  done  good  service  to  the  people  of 
Pernambuco ;  for  without  their  protective  aid  the  bar  of  sand- 
stone would  inevitably  have  been  long  ago  worn  away,  and 
without  the  bar,  there  would  have  been  no  harbour. 

On  the  19th  of  August  we  finally  left  the  shores  of  Brazil.  I 
thank  God,  I  shall  never  again  visit  a  slave-country.  To  this 
day,  if  I  hear  a  distant  scream,  it  recalls  with  painful  vividness 
my  feelings,  when  passing  a  house  near  Pernambuco,  I  heard 
the  most  pitiable  moans,  and  could  not  but  suspect  that  some 
poor  slave  was  being  tortured,  yet  knew  that  I  was  as  powerless 
as  a  child  even  to  remonstrate.  I  suspected  that  these  moans 
were  from  a  tortured  slave,  for  I  was  told  that  this  was  the  case 
in  another  instance.  Near  Rio  de  Janeiro  I  lived  opposite  to  an 
old  lady,  who  kept  screws  to  crush  the  fingers  of  her  female 
slaves.  I  have  staid  in  a  house  where  a  young  household  mu- 
latto, daily  and  hourly,  was  reviled,  beaten,  and  persecuted 
enough  to  break  the  spirit  of  the  lowest  animal.  I  have  seen  a 
little  boy,  six  or  seven  years  old,  struck  thrice  with  a  horse-whip 
(before  I  could  interfere)  on  his  naked  head,  for  having  handed 
me  a  glass  of  water  not  quite  clean  ;  I  saw  his  father  tremble  at 
a  mere  glance  from  his  master's  eye.  These  latter  cruelties 
were  witnessed  by  me  in  a  Spanish  colony,  in  which  it  has 
always  been  said,  that  slaves  are  better  treated  than  by  the 
Portuguese,  English,  or  other  European  nations.  I  have  seen 
at  Rio  Janeiro  a  powerful  negro  afraid  to  ward  off  a  blow  di- 
rected, as  he  thought,  at  his  face.  I  was  present  when  a  kind- 
hearted  man  was  on  the  point  of  separating  for  ever  the  men, 
women,  and  little  children  of  a  large  number  of  families  who 
had  long  lived  together.  I  will  not  even  allude  to  the  many 
heart-sickening  atrocities  which  I  authentically  heard  of ;— noi 
vrould  I  have  mentioned  the  above  revolting  details,  had  I  not 


500  SLAVERY.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

met  with  several  people,  so  blinded  by  the  constitutional  gaiety 
of  the  negro,  as  to  speak  of  slavery  as  a  tolerable  evil.  Such 
people  have  generally  visited  at  the  houses  of  the  upper  classes, 
where  the  domestic  slaves  are  usually  well  treated ;  and  they 
have  not,  like  myself,  lived  amongst  the  lower  classes.  Such 
enquirers  will  ask  slaves  about  their  condition  ;  they  forget  that 
the  slave  must  indeed  be  dull,  who  does  not  calculate  on  the 
chance  of  his  answer  reaching  his  master's  ears. 

It  is  argued  that  self-interest  will  prevent  excessive  cruelty  ; 
as  if  self-interest  protected  our  domestic  animals,  which  are  far 
less  likely  than  degraded  slaves,  to  stir  up  the  rage  of  their  savage 
masters.  It  is  an  argument  long  since  protested  against  with 
noble  feeling,  and  strikingly  exemplified,  by  the  ever  illustrious 
Humboldt.  It  is  often  attempted  to  palliate  slavery  by  com- 
paring the  state  of  slaves  with  our  poorer  countrymen :  if  the 
misery  of  our  poor  be  caused  not  by  the  laws  of  nature,  but  by 
our  institutions,  great  is  our  sin  ;  but  how  this  bears  on  slavery, 
I  cannot  see ;  as  well  might  the  use  of  the  thumb-screw  be  de- 
fended in  one  land,  by  showing  that  men  in  another  land  suffered 
from  some  dreadful  disease.  Those  who  look  tenderly  at  the 
slave-owner,  and  with  a  cold  heart  at  the  slave,  never  seem  to 
put  themselves  into  the  position  of  the  latter  ;— what  a  cheerless 
prospect,  with  not  even  a  hope  of  change !  picture  to  yourself 
the  chance,  ever  hanging  over  you,  of  your  wife  and  your  little 
children— those  objects  which  nature  urges  even  the  slave  to 
call  his  own— being  torn  from  you  and  sold  like  beasts  to  the 
first  bidder !  And  these  deeds  are  done  and  palliated  by  men, 
who  profess  to  love  their  neighbours  as  themselves,  who  believe 
in  God,  and  pray  that  his  Will  be  done  on  earth  !  It  makes 
one's  blood  boil,  yet  heart  tremble,  to  think  that  we  Englishmen 
and  our  American  descendants,  with  their  boastful  cry  of  liberty, 
have  been  and  are  so  guilty :  but  it  is  a  consolation  to  reflect, 
that  we  at  least  have  made  a  greater  sacrifice,  than  ever  made  by 
any  nation,  to  expiate  our  sin. 

On  the  last  day  of  August  we  anchored  for  the  second  time  at 
Porto  Praya  in  the  Cape  de  Verd  archipelago ;  thence  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Azores,  where  we  staid  six  days.  On  the  2nd 
of  October  we  made  the  shores  of  England  ;  and  at  Falinouth  I 


1836.]  RETROSPECT.  501 

.eft  the  Beagle,  having  lived  on  board  the   good  little  vessel 
nearly  five  years. 

Our  Voyage  having  come  to  an  end,  I  will  take  a  short  retro- 
spect of  the  advantages  and  disadvantages,  the  pains  and  pleasures, 
of  our  circumnavigation  of  the  world.  If  a  person  asked  my  ad- 
vice, before  undertaking  a  long  voyage,  my  answer  would  depend 
upon  his  possessing  a  decided  taste  for  some  branch  of  knowledge, 
which  could  by  this  means  be  advanced.  No  doubt  it  is  a  high 
satisfaction  to  behold  various  countries  and  the  many  races  of 
mankind,  but  the  pleasures  gained  at  the  time  do  not  counter- 
balance the  evils.  It  is  necessary  to  look  forward  to  a  harvest, 
however  distant  that  may  be,  when  some  fruit  will  be  reaped, 
some  good  effected. 

Many  of  the  losses  which  must  be  experienced  are  obvious ; 
such  as  that  of  the  society  of  every  old  friend,  and  of  the  sight 
of  those  places  with  which  every  dearest  remembrance  is  so  inti- 
mately connected.  These  losses,  however,  are  at  the  time  partly 
relieved  by  the  exhaustless  delight  of  anticipating  the  long  wished- 
for  day  of  return.  If,  as  poets  say,  life  is  a  dream,  I  am  sure  in 
a  voyage  these  are  the  visions  which  best  serve  to  pass  away  the 
long  night.  Other  losses,  although  not  at  first  felt,  tell  heavily 
after  a  period  :  these  are  the  want  of  room,  of  seclusion,  of  rest; 
the  jading  feeling  of  constant  hurry  ;  the  privation  of  small  luxu- 
ries, the  loss  of  domestic  society,  and  even  of  music  and  the  other 
pleasures  of  imagination.  When  such  trifles  are  mentioned,  it  is 
evident  that  the  real  grievances,  excepting  from  accidents,  of  a 
sea-life  are  at  an  end.  The  short  space  of  sixty  years  has  made 
an  astonishing  difference  in  the  facility  of  distant  navigation. 
Even  in  the  time  of  Cook,  a  man  who  left  his  fireside  for  such 
expeditions  underwent  severe  privations.  A  yacht  now,  with 
every  luxury  of  life,  can  circumnavigate  the  globe.  Besides  the 
vast  improvements  in  ships  and  naval  resources,  the  whole  western 
shores  of  America  are  thrown  open,  and  Australia  has  become 
the  capital  of  a  rising  continent.  How  different  are  the  circum- 
stances to  a  man  shipwrecked  at  the  present  day  in  the  Pacific, 
to  what  they  were  in  the  time  of  Cook !  Since  his  voyage  a 
hemisphere  has  been  added  to  the  civilized  world. 

If  a  person  suffer  much  from  sea-sickness,  let   him  weigh  il 


502  RETROSPECT.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

heavily  in  the  balance.  I  speak  from  experience :  it  is  no  trifling 
evil,  cured  in  a  week.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  take  pleasure 
in  naval  tactics,  he  will  assuredly  have  full  scope  for  his  taste. 
But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  how  large  a  proportion  of  the  time, 
during  a  long  voyage,  is  spent  on  the  water,  as  compared  with 
the  days  in  harbour.  And  what  are  the  boasted  glories  of  the 
illimitable  ocean  ?  A  tedious  waste,  a  desert  of  water,  as  the 
Arabian  calls  it.  No  doubt  there  are  some  delightful  scenes. 
A  moonlight  night,  with  the  clear  heavens  and  the  dark  glitter- 
ing sea,  and  the  white  sails  filled  by  the  soft  air  of  a  gently- 
blowing  trade-wind  ;  a  dead  calm,  with  the  heaving  surface  po- 
lished like  a  mirror,  and  all  still  except  the  occasional  flapping 
of  the  canvass.  It  is  well  once  to  behold  a  squall  with  its  rising 
arch  and  coming  fury,  or  the  heavy  gale  of  wind  and  mountain- 
ous waves.  I  confess,  however,  my  imagination  had  painted 
something  more  grand,  more  terrific  in  the  full-grown  storm.  It 
is  an  incomparably  finer  spectacle  when  beheld  on  shore,  where 
the  waving  trees,  the  wild  flight  of  the  birds,  the  dark  shadows 
and  bright  lights,  the  rushing  of  the  torrents,  all  proclaim  the 
strife  of  the  unloosed  elements.  At  sea  the  albatross  and  little 
petrel  fly  as  if  the  storm  were  their  proper  sphere,  the  water  rises 
and  sinks  as  if  fulfilling  its  usual  task,  the  ship  alone  and  its  in- 
habitants seem  the  objects  of  wrath.  On  a  forlorn  and  weather- 
beaten  coast,  the  scene  is  indeed  different,  but  the  feelings  par- 
take more  of  horror  than  of  wild  delight. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  brighter  side  of  the  past  time.  The 
pleasure  derived  from  beholding  the  scenery  and  the  general 
aspect  of  the  various  countries  we  have  visited,  has  decidedly 
been  the  most  constant  and  highest  source  of  enjoyment.  It  is 
probable  that  the  picturesque  beauty  of  many  parts  of  Europe 
exceeds  anything  which  we  beheld.  But  there  is  a  growing  plea- 
sure in  comparing  the  character  of  the  scenery  in  different  coun- 
tries, which  to  a  certain  degree  is  distinct  from  merely  admiring 
its  beauty.  It  depends  chiefly  on  an  acquaintance  with  the  indi- 
vidual parts  of  each  view  :  I  am  strongly  induced  to  believe  that, 
as  in  music,  the  person  who  understands  every  note  will,  if  he 
also  possesses  a  proper  taste,  more  thoroughly  enjoy  the  whole, 
so  he  who  examines  each  part  of  a  fine  view,  may  also  thoroughly 
comprehend  the  full  and  combined  effect.  Hence,  a  travellei 


1836.]  RETROSPECT. 


should  be  a  botanist,  for  in  all  views  plants  form  the  chief  embel- 
lishment. Group  masses  of  naked  rock  even  in  the  wildest  forms, 
and  they  may  for  a  time  afford  a  sublime  spectacle,  but  the"  will 
soon  grow  monotonous.  Paint  them  with  bright  and  varied  co- 
lours, as  in  Northern  Chile,  they  will  become  fantastic  ;  clothe 
them  with  vegetation,  they  must  form  a  decent,  if  not  a  beautiful 
picture. 

When  I  say  that  the  scenery  of  parts  of  Europe  is  probably  supe- 
rior to  anything  which  we  beheld,  I  except,  as  a  class  by  itself, 
that  of  the  intertropical  zones.  The  two  classes  cannot  be  com- 
pared together  ;  but  I  have  already  often  enlarged  on  the  grandeur 
of  those  regions.  As  the  force  of  impressions  generally  depends 
on  preconceived  ideas,  I  may  add,  that  mine  were  taken  from  the 
vivid  descriptions  in  the  Personal  Narrative  of  Humboldt,  which 
far  exceed  in  merit  anything  else  which  I  have  read.  Yet  with 
these  high- wrought  ideas,  my  feelings  were  far  from  partaking  of 
a  tinge  of  disappointment  on  my  first  and  final  landing  on  the 
shores  -of  Brazil. 

Among  the  scenes  which  are  deeply  impressed  on  my  mind, 
none  exceed  in  sublimity  the  primeval  forests  undefaced  by  the 
hand  of  man  ;  whether  those  of  Brazil,  where  the  powers  of  Life 
are  predominant,  or  those  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  where  Death  and 
Decay  prevail.  Both  are  temples  filled  with  the  varied  produc- 
tions of  the  God  of  Nature  : — no  one  can  stand  in  these  solitudes 
unmoved,  and  not  feel  that  there  is  more  in  man  than  the  mere 
breath  of  his  body.  In  calling  up  images  of  the  past,  I  find  that 
the  plains  of  Patagonia  frequently  cross  before  my  eyes ;  yet 
these  plains  are  pronounced  by  all  wretched  and  useless.  They 
can  be  described  only  by  negative  characters ;  without  habita- 
tions, without  water,  without  trees,  without  mountains,  they  sup- 
port merely  a  few  dwarf  plants.  Why  then,  and  the  case  is  not 
peculiar  to  myself,  have  these  arid  wastes  taken  so'firm  a  hold  on 
my  memory  ?  Why  have  not  the  still  more  level,  the  greener 
and  more  fertile  Pampas,  which  are  serviceable  to  mankind,  pro- 
duced an  equal  impression?  I  can  scarcely  analyze  these  feel- 
ings :  but  it  must  be  partly  owing  to  the  free  scope  given  to  the 
imagination.  The  plains  of  Patagonia  are  boundless,  for  they 
are  scarcely  passable,  and  hence  unknown  :  they  bear  the  stamp 
of  having  lasted,  as  tney  are  now,  for  ages,  and  there  appears  no 


• 


604  RETROSPECT.  [[CHAP.  xxi. 

limit  to  their  duration  through  future  time.  If,  as  the  ancients 
supposed,  the  flat  earth  was  surrounded  by  an  impassable  breadth 
of  water,  or"  by  deserts  heated  to  an  intolerable  excess,  who  would 
not  look  at  these  last  boundaries  to  man's  knowledge  with  deep 
but  ill-defined  sensations? 

Lastly,  of  natural  scenery,  the  views  from  lofty  mountains, 
though  certainly  in  one  sense  not  beautiful,  are  very  memorable. 
When  looking  down  from  the  highest  crest  of  the  Cordillera, 
the  mind,  undisturbed  by  minute  details,  was  filled  with  the  stu- 
pendous dimensions  of  the  surrounding  masses. 

Of  individual  objects,  perhaps  nothing  is  more  certain  to  create 
astonishment  than  the  first  sight  in  his  native  haunt  of  a  barba- 
rian,— of  man  in  his  lowest  and  most  savage  state.  One's  mind 
hurries  back  over  past  centuries,  and  then  asks,  could  our  pro 
genitors  have  been  men  like  these  ? — men,  whose  very  signs  and 
expressions  are  less  intelligible  to  us  than  those  of  the  domesti- 
cated animals ;  men,  who  do  not  possess  the  instinct  of  those 
animals,  nor  yet  appear  to  boast  of  human  reason,  or  at  least  of 
arts  consequent  on  that  reason.  I  do  not  believe  it  is  possible 
to  describe  or  paint  the  difference  between  savage  and  civilized 
man.  It  is  the  difference  between  a  wild  and  tame  animal :  and 
part  of  the  interest  in  beholding  a  savage,  is  the  same  which 
would  lead  every  one  to  desire  to  see  the  lion  in  his  desert,  the 
tiger  tearing  his  prey  in  the  jungle,  or  the  rhinoceros  wandering 
over  the  wild  plains  of  Africa. 

Among  the  other  roost  remarkable  spectacles  which  we  have 
beheld,  may  be  ranked  the  Southern  Cross,  the  cloud  of  Magellan, 
and  the  other  constellations  of  the  southern  hemisphere — the 
water-spout — the  glacier  leading  its  blue  stream  of  ice,  over- 
hanging the  sea  in  a  bold  precipice — a  lagoon-island  raised  by 
the  reef-building  corals — an  active  volcano — and  the  overwhelm- 
ing effects  of  a  violent  earthquake.  These  latter  phenomena, 
perhaps,  possess  for  me  a  peculiar  interest,  from  their  intimate 
connexion  with  the  geological  structure  of  the  world.  The 
earthquake,  however,  must  be  to  every  one  a  most  impressive 
event :  the  earth,  considered  from  our  earliest  childhood  as  the 
type  of  solidity,  has  oscillated  like  a  thin  crust  beneath  our  feet  ; 
and  in  seeing  the  laboured  works  of  man  in  a  moment  over- 
thrown, we  feel  the  insignificance  of  his  boasted  power. 


1836.]  RETROSPECT.  505 

It  has  been  said,  that  the  love  of  the  chase  is  an  inherent  de- 
light in  man — a  relic  of  an  instinctive  passion.  If  so,  I  am  sure 
the  pleasure  of  living  in  the  open  air,  with  the  sky  for  a  roof 
and  the  ground  for  a  table,  is  part  of  the  same  feeling ;  it  is  the 
savage  returning  to  his  wild  and  native  habits.  I  always  look 
back  to  our  boat  cruises,  and  my  land  journeys,  when  through 
unfrequented  countries,  with  an  extreme  delight,  which  no 
scenes  of  civilization  could  have  created.  I  do  not  doubt  that 
every  traveller  must  remember  the  glowing  sense  of  happiness 
which  he  experienced,  when  he  first  breathed  in  a  foreign  clime, 
where  the  civilized  man  had  seldom  or  never  trod. 

There  are  several  other  sources  of  enjoyment  in  a  long  voyage, 
which  are  of  a  more  reasonable  nature.  The  map  of  the  world 
ceases  to  be  a  blank  ;  it  becomes  a  picture  full  of  the  most  varied 
and  animated  figures.  Each  part  assumes  its  proper  dimensions : 
continents  are  not  looked  at  in  the  light  of  islands,  or  islands 
considered  as  mere  specks,  which  are,  in  truth,  larger  than  many 
kingdoms  of  Europe.  Africa,  or  North  and  South  America, 
are  well-sounding  names,  and  easily  pronounced ;  but  it  is  not 
until  having  sailed  for  weeks  along  small  portions  of  their  shores, 
that  one  is  thoroughly  convinced  what  vast  spaces  on  our  im- 
mense world  these  names  imply. 

From  seeing  the  present  state,  it  is  impossible  not  to  look  for- 
ward with  high  expectations  to  the  future  progress  of  nearly  an 
entire  hemisphere.  The  march  of  improvement,  consequent  on 
the  introduction  of  Christianity  throughout  the  South  Sea,  pro- 
bably stands  by  itself  in  the  records  of  history.  It  is  the  more 
striking  when  we  remember  that  only  sixty  years  since,  Cook, 
whose  excellent  judgment  none  will  dispute,  could  foresee  no 
prospect  of  a  change.  Yet  these  changes  have  now  been  effected 
by  the  philanthropic  spirit  of  the  British  nation. 

In  the  same  quarter  of  the  globe  Australia  is  rising,  or  indeed 
may  be  said  to  have  risen,  into  a  grand  centre  of  civilization, 
which,  at  some  not  very  remote  period,  will  rule  as  empress  over 
the  southern  hemisphere.  It  is  impossible  for  an  Englishman  to 
behold  these  distant  colonies,  without  a  high  pride  and  satisfac- 
tion. To  hoist  the  British  flag,  seems  to  draw  with  it  as  a  cer- 
tain consequence,  wealth,  prosperity,  and  civilization. 

In  conclusion    it  appears  to  me  that  nothing  can  be  more 


506  RETROSPECT.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

improving  to  a  young  naturalist,  than  a  journey  in  distant  coun- 
ti-ies.  It  both  sharpens,  and  partly  allajs  that  want  and  craving, 
which,  as  Sir  J.  Herschel  remarks,  a  man  experiences  although 
every  corporeal  sense  be  fully  satisfied.  The  excitement  from 
the  novelty  of  objects,  and  the  chance  of  success,  stimulate  him 
to  increased  activity.  Moreover,  as  a  number  of  isolated  facts 
soon  become  uninteresting,  the  habit  of  comparison  leads  to  ge- 
neralization. On  the  other  hand,  as  the  traveller  stays  but  a 
short  time  in  each  place,  his  descriptions  must  generally  consist 
of  mere  sketches,  instead  of  detailed  observations.  Hence  arises, 
as  I  have  found  to  my  cost,  a  constant  tendency  to  fill  up  the 
wide  gaps  of  knowledge,  by  inaccurate  and  superficial  hypo- 
theses. 

But  I  have  too  deeply  enjoyed  the  voyage,  not  to  recommend 
any  naturalist,  although  he  must  not  expect  to  be  so  fortunate 
in  his  companions  as  I  have  been,  to  take  all  chances,  and  to 
start,  on  travels  by  land  if  possible,  if  otherwise  on  a  long  voyage. 
He  may  feel  assured,  he  will  meet  with  no  difficulties  or  dan- 
gers, excepting  in  rare  cases,  nearly  so  bad  as  he  beforehand 
anticipates.  In  a  moral  point  of  viow,  the  effect  ought  to  be, 
to  teach  him  good-humoured  patience,  freedom  from  selfishness, 
the  habit  of  acting  for  himself,  and  of  making  the  best  of  every 
occurrence.  In  short,  he  ought  to  partake  of  the  characteristic 
qualities  of  most  sailors.  Travelling  ought  also  to  teach  him 
distrust ;  but  at  the  same  time  he  will  discover,  how  many  truly 
kind-hearted  people  there  are,  with  whom  he  never  before  had, 
or  ever  again  will  have  any  further  communication,  who  yet  are 
ready  to  offer  him  the  most  disinterested  assistance. 


NOTE.— The  snake,  described  at  page  96,  with  the  curious  habit  of  vibrat- 
ing its  tail,  is  a  new  species  of  Trigonocephalus,  •»  liich  M.  Bibrcn  proposes 
to  call  T.  crepitans. 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  35 

Aborigines  banished  from  Van  Die- 
men's  Land,  447 

of  Australia,  433  to  450 

Abrolhos.  14 

Absence  of  trees  in  Pampas,  46 

Aconcagua,  volcano  of,  253,  291 

Actinia,  stinging  species,  464 

Africa,  Southern  part  desert,  yet  sup- 
ports large  animals,  85 

Agouti,  habits  of,  69 

Ague  common  in  Peru,  365 

Aibemarle  Island,  376 

Allan,  Dr.,  on  Diodon,  14 

• on  Holuthuriae,  465 

Alluvium,  saliferous,  in  Peru,  364 

,  stratified,  in  Andes,  315 

Amblyrhynchus,  .385,  394 

Anas,  species  of,  199 

Animalcule,  see  Infusoria 

Antarctic  islands,  248 

Antipodes,  417 

Ants  at  Keeling  island,  456 

in  Brazil,  34 

Apires,  or  miners,  340 

Aplysia,  6 

Apple-trees,  297 

Aptenodytes  demersa,  199 

Areas  of  alternate  movements  in  the 
Pacific  and  Indian  oceans,  480 

Armadilloes,  habits  of,  95 

,  fossil  animals  allied  to, 

130,  155 

Arrow-heads,  ancient,  105,  357 

Ascension,  491 

Aspalax,  blindness  of,  52 

Athene,  70,  125 

Atolls,  465 

Attagis,  94 

Atwater,  Mr.,  on  the  prairies,  118 

Audubon  M.,  on  smellmg-powcr  of 
carrion-hawks,  184 

Australia,  431 

Australian  barrier,  474 

Azara  on  spiders,  36,  38 

on  rain  in  La  Plata.  47 


Azara  on  range  of  carrion-hawks,  59 

on  habits  of  carrion-hawks,  57 

— —  on  a  thunder-storm,  61 

on  ostrich-eggs,  9 1 

!   on  bows  and  arrows,  105 

I on  new  plants  springing  up, 

on  great  droughts,  133 

j on  hydrophobia,  353 

Bachman,  Mr.,  on  carrion-hawks,  1 85 
Bahia  Blanea,  76  to  105 
Bahia,  Brazil,  11 

,  scenery  of,  495 

Balbi  on  coral  reefs,  470 

Bald  Head,  Australia,  450 

Ballenar,  Chile,  349 

Banda  Oriental.  39,  142 

Banks's  Hill,  210 

Barking- bird,  288 

Basaltic  platform  of  Santa  Cruz,  180 

Bathurst,  Australia,  442 

Bats,  vampire,  22 

Bay  of  Islands,  New  Zealand,  417 

Beads',  hill  of,  149 

Beagle  Channel,  Tierra  del  Fuego, 

217 

Beech-trees,  235,  281 
Beetles  alive  in  sea.  1 59 

,  dung-feeders,  490 

at  St.  Julian,  1 70 

in  brackish  water,  22 

on  a  fungus,  32 

Behring's  Straits,  fossils  of,  132 
Bell  of  Quillota,  255 
Benchuca,  330 
Berkeley  Sound,  188 

,  Rev.  J.,  on  Conferva,  I  a 

,  on  Cyttaria,  23ti 

Bibron,  M.,  381,385 

Bien-te-veo,  54 

Birds  of  the  Galapagos  Archipelago 

378,  394 

Birds,  lameness  of,  398 
Birgos  latro,  462 
Bizcacha,  habits  of,  70,  124 


S 


INDEX. 


Black  wall,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  161 
Blindness  of  tucutuco,  5-2 
Body,  frozen,  89,  249 
Bolabola,  469,  473 
Bolas,  manner  of  using,  44,  111 
Bombs,  volcanic,  493 
Bones  of  the  guanaco  collected  in  cer- 
tain spots,  167 
,  fire  made  of,  194 

Camelidse,  fossil  animal  allied  to,  178 
Canis  antarcticus,  193 
Canis  fulvipes,  280 
Capybara,  or  carpinchj,  49,  287 

Cape  Horn,  211 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  85 
Caracara,  or  Carrancha,  55 
Cardoon,  beds  of,  119,  148 
Carmichael,  Capt.,  392 
Carrion-hawks,  55,  120,  184 
Casarita,  95 
Castro,  Chiloe,  278,  294 
Casts  of  trees,  450 
Casuchas,  335 
Cathartes,  58,  184,284 
Cats  run  wild,  120,  493 
good  to  eat,  117 
scratch  trees.  136 
,  cruelty  to  mice,  199 
Cattle,  ellects  of  their  grazing  on  the 
vegetation.  118 

-,  fossil,  81,  127,  130,  155,  173 
Bory  St.  Vincent  on  frogs,  381 
Boulders,  187,  247 
Brauiador,  El,  361 
Brazil,  great  area  of  granite,  12 
Breaches  iu  coral  reefs,  476 
Breakwater  of  sea-weed,  240 
Brewster,  Sir  D.,  on  a  calcareous  de- 
posit, 10 
Bridge  of  hide,  262 

Buckland,  Dr.,  on  fossils,  132 
Buenos  Ayres,  121 
Buffon  on  American  animals,  173 
Bug  of  Pampas,  330 
Buildings,     Indian,     356     to     359, 
368 
Bulimus  on  desert  places,  347 
Burchell,  Mr.,  on  food  of  quadrupeds, 
87 

146 

,  curious  breed  of,  145 
,  waste  of,  149 
wild  at  the  Falkland  Inlands 

190,  192 
Cauquenes,  hot  springs  of,  263 
Causes  of  extinction  of  species  among 
mammalia,  173 
of  discoloured  sea,  1  4 
Cavia  Patagouica,  69 
Cervus  campestris,  48 
Ceryle  Americana,  138 
Chacao,  Chiloe,  274 
Chagos  atolls,  478 
Chalk-like  mud,  465 
Chamisso  on  drifted  seeds  and  trees, 
454,  461 
on  coral  reefs,  467 
Changes    in  vegetatiou  of  Pampas, 
120 

,  on  ostnc    cgf.5,  j 

267 
Butterflies,  flocks  of,  158 
Butterfly  producing  clicking  sound, 
33 
Button,  Jemmy,  207 
Byron's  account  of  fox  of  Falklands, 
194 
on  an  Indian  killing  his  child, 
216 

Cacti,  165,261,  374 
Cactornis,  379,  394 
Calasoma  on  wing  out  at  sea,  158 
Calcareous  casts  of  branches  and  roots 
of  trees  at  King  George's  Sound, 
450 
Calcareous  incrustations  on  rocks  of 
Ascension,  9 
Callao,  365 
(Jalodera,  1*25 
Calomys  bizcacha,  124 
Caraarhynchus,  379,  394 

489 
Charles  Island,  Galapagos  Archipe- 
lago, 375 
Cheese,  salt  required  for,  66 
Cheucau.  278,  283 
Chile,  252,  337 
,  features  of  country,  2f>4 
Chiloe,  273 
,  forests  of,  and  climate,  248 

INDEX. 


509 


Ctriloe,  roads  of.  274,  292 

Cordillera,  passage  of.  314 

Chiouis,  94 
Chonos  Archipelago,  281 

,  geology  of,  319,  332 
,  rivers  of.  316 

'  °  'nhh"0!0  '  ~  *f 

Cormorant  catching  fish,  199 
Corral,  where  animals  are  slaugh- 
tered at  Buenos  Ayres,  121 
Coseguina,  eruption  of,  291 
Countries,  unhealthy,  365 
Couthouy,  Mr.,  on  coral-reefs,  475 
Crabs,  hermit  species  of,  457 
at  Keeling  Island,  462 
at  St.  Paul's,  10 
Craters,  number  of  at  the  Galapagos 
Archipelago,  373 

288 
Chupat,  Rio,  107 
Cladonia,  364 
Clearness  of  atmosphere  within  An- 
des, in  Chile,  256 
Climate  of  Tierra  del  Fuego   and 
Falkland  Islands,  242 
Antarctic  Islands,  248 
•  Galapagos,  373,  377 
,  change  of,  in  Chile,  357 
Clouds  of  vapour  after  rain,  24 

Crisia,  202 
Cruelty  to  animals,  152 
Crustacea,  pelagic,  161 
Ctenomys  Braziliensis,  50 
,  fossil  species  of,  82 
Cucao,  Chiloe,  294 
Cuckoo-like  habits  of  Molothrus,  53 
Cuentas,  Sierra  de,  149 
Cumbre  of  Cordillera,  335 
Cuming,  Mr.,  on  shells,  391,  490 
Cuttle-fish,  habits  of,  7,  238 
Cuvier  on  Diodon,  13 
Cynara,  119 
Cyttaria  Darwinii,  236 

Dacelo  Jagoensis,  2 
Dasypus.  three  species  of,  95 
Deer,  49,  133 
Degradation  of  tertiary  formations, 
344 
Deinornis,  427 
Deserts,  349,  363 
Desmodus,  22 
Despoblado,  valley  of,  355 
Dietfenbach  on  Auckland  Island,  244, 
435 
Diodon,  habits  of,  13 
Discoloured  sea,  14 
Diseases  from  miasma,  365,  435 
Distribution  of  mammalia  in  Ameri- 
ca, 131 

Hanging  ow,  oi/^ 

Coleoptera  in  Tropics,  34 

Colias  edusa,  flocks  of,  158 
Colnett,  Capt,  on  spawn  in  sea,  1  7 
,  on  a  marine  lizard,  385 
,  on  transport  of  seeds. 
392 
Colonia  del  Sacramiento,  144 
Colorado  Rio,  70 
Compound  animals,  201 
Concepcion,  Chile,  302 
Condor,  habits  of,  182,  186,  269 
Conferva?,  pelagic,  14 
Conglomerate  on  the  Ventana,  109 
in  Cordillera,  420 
Couurus,  138 
Convicts  of  Mauritius,  484 
,  condition  of,  in  New  South 
Wales,  44f) 
Cook,  Capt.,  on  Kelp,  239 
Copiapo,  river  and  valley  ofj  350 
,  town  of,  354 
Coquimbo,  342 
Coral  formations,  402,  452  to  482 
,  stinging  species  of,  404 
,  dead,  460,  478 
Corallines,  201 
Corcovado,  clouds  on,  28 

sides  of  Cordillera,  326 
of  frogs,  381 
of  Fauna  of  Galapagos, 
393 
Dobrizhoffer  on  ostriches,  93 

Cordillera,  appearance  of,  258,  276, 
318 
,  different    productions   on 
eas*.  and  west  side,  326 

510 


INDEX. 


Dobrizhoffer  on  a  hail-storm,  116 
Docks,  imported,  428 
Dogs,  shepherd.  149 
D'Orbigny,  Travels  in  South  Ameri- 
ca, 78,  03,  120.  ISO,  149,  167 
Doris,  eggs  of,  20? 
Doubleday,  Mr.,  on  a  noise  made  by 
a  butterfly,  33 
Drigg,  lightning  tubes  at,  59 
Droughts,  great,  in  Pampas,  133 
Dryness  of  St.  Jago.  4 

Ehrenbera-    Prof.,   on    infutiori".    in 
coral  mu^,  465 

at  Ascension,  494 
on  yh,-«phoresctnce 
of  the  sea,  163 

301 
Eimeo,  view  of,  406 
Elater,  springing  powers'  cf^  ?l 
Electricity    of    atmosphere     within 
Andes,  326 
Elephant,  weight  of,  87 
Elevated  shells,   85,   130,  171,    254, 
297,  310,  344,  362,  369 
Elevation  of  coasts  of  Chile,  254,  297 
307,  310,  338,  344,  357 

ego,  231 

Da  Bois,  382,  399 
Dung-feeding  beetles,  490 
Dust,  falling  from  atmosphere,  5 

Earthenware  fossil,  370 
Earthquake,  accompanied  by  an  ele- 
vation of  the  coast,  310 

Pampas,  130 

mountain  chains,  312 

irniging^recis,  47o 

at  Coquimbo,  342 
at   Keeling   and  Vani- 
koro,  and  Society  Islands,  475 
at  V'lldivia  301 

Feru,  159 

Entomology  of  the  Galapagos  Archi- 
pelago, 381,  392,  394 

,  causes  of,  311 

.  Patagonia,  170,  327 

,  cflcct  of,  on  Brings,  264 

sea,  306 
,  effects  of,  on  rocks,  '257, 
303 

Eutre  Eios,  geology  of,  129 
Epeira,  habits  of,  36,  38 
Erratic  blocks,  how  transported,  247 

304,  305 
,  effects  of,  on  a  river-bed, 
358 

countries,  248 

Cruz,  187 

Estancia,  value  of,  145 
Extermination  of  species  and  races, 

the  ground,  1  98 

308 
Eggs  of  Doris,  201 
Ehrenberg,  Prof.,  on  Atlantic  dust,  5 

Extinction  of  shells  at  St.  Helena,  488 
of  species,  causes  of,  1  74 

Wales.  434.  448 
Eyes  of  tucutuco  and  mole,  52 

Falconer,  Dr.,  on  the  Sivatherium, 
146 

pas,  82,  130 

open  sea,  162 
in  Pata 

gonia,  171 

in  Fue 

gian  paint,  221 

pas,  106 

INDEX. 


511 


Falconer,  Jesuit,   on  natural  enclo- 
sures, 1  16 
Falkland  Islands,  188 

Fulgurites,  59 
Fungus,  edible,  23b 
Furnarius,  95 

Galapagos  Archipelago,  372  ;  natural 
history  of,  377 

48 

57 

logy,  377,  393 
Gale  of  -wind,  217,  281 
Gallegos  River,  fossil  bones  at,  17i 
Gallinazo,  55 
Gauchos,  42,  1  55 
•  ,  character  of,  1  50 

horses  of,  190 

'       '•    a  f  °9S7 

Fat,  quantity  eaten,  1  1  7 

Februa,  33 

Fennel,  run  wild,  119 
Ferguson,  Dr.,  on  miasma.  366 
Fern-trees,  244,  448 
Fernando  Noronha,  11,  374 
Fields  of  dead  coral,  460 
Fire,  art  of  making,  194,  409 
Fish,  eating  coral,  464 

of  Galapagos,  390 

emitting  harsh  sound,  136  j 

Flamingoes,  66 

Fleas,  346 

Floods  after  droughts,  134 

clear  after  snow,  319 

Flora  of  the  Galapagos,   374,  392, 

395 

of  Keeling  island,  454 

of  St.  Helena,  487 

Flustracess,  201 

Forests,  absence  of.  in  La  Plata,  47 

of  Tierra   del    Fuego,    210, 

243,  286 

of  Chiloe,  243,  280   286,  293 

of  Valdivia,  298.  301 

of  New  Zealand,  427 

of  Australia,  433 


Fossil  Mammalia,  81,  127,  130,  155, 

173 

earthenware,  369 

Fox  of  the  Falkland  Islands,  193 

of  Chiloe,  280 

Friendly  Archipelago,  481 
Frogs,  noises  of,  29 

,  bladders  of,  383 

and  toads,  not  found  on  oceanic 

islands,  3S1 
Frozen  soil,  88,  248 
Fruit-trees,  southern  limit  of,  243 
Fucus  gigaiiteus,  239 
Fuegians,  204  to  234 


Gay,  M.,  on  floating  islands,  2fi5 
,  on  shells  in  brackish  water 

21 

Geese  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  199 
Geographical  distribution  of  Ameri- 
can animals,  131,  326 
• of    frogs, 

381 
of     fauna 

of  Galapagos,  393 
Geology  of  Cordillera,  319.  332 

• of  Patagonia,  170,  181 

of  St.  Jago,  6 

of  St.  Paul,  8 

of  B.  Blanca,  81 

of  Pampas,  129 

of  Brazil,  12 

Georgia,  climate  of,  248 

Geospiza,  379,  095 

Gill,  Mr.,  on  an  upheaved  river-bed, 

358 

Gillies,  Dr.,  on  the  Cordillera,  323 
Glaciers  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  224, 

245 

in  Cordillera,  324 

in  lat.  40°  40',  246 

Glow-worms,  30 

Goats,  destructive  to  vegetation  at  St. 

Helena,  489 

,  bones  of,  1 68 

Goitre,  314 

Gold-washing,  266 

Good  Success  Bay,  204. 

Gossamer  spider,  159 

Gould,  Mr.,  on  the  Calodera,  125 

,  on  birds  of  Gaiapagos, 

379 
Granite  mountains,  Trcs  Montet.  283 

of  Cordillera,  320 

Graspus.  10 


512 


INDEX. 


Gravel,  how  far  transported,  108 

of  Patagonia,  75,  171 

Greenstone,  fragments  of,  257 
Gryllus  migratorius,  329 
Guanaco,  hubits  of,  1C6 

,  fossil  allied  genus,  172 

Guantajaya,  mines  of,  363 
Guardiadel  Monte,  118 
Guasco,  348 
Guasos  of  Chile,  258 
Guava.  imported  into  Tahiti,  403 
Guinea-fowl,  5,  493 
Gunnera  scabra,  278 
Gypsum,  great  beds  of,  319 

in  salt-lake,  66 

in      Patagonian     tertiary- 
beds,  171 

at  Iquique  with  salt,  364 

• at  Lima  with  shells,  369 


Hachette,  M.,  on  lightning-tubes,  60 

Hailstorm,  115 

Hall,  Capt.  Basil,  on  terraces  of  Co- 

quimbo,  343 
Hare,  Varying,  45 
Head,  Capt.,  on  thistle-beds,  119, 124 
Height  of  snow-line  on  Cordillera, 

244 

Henslow,  Prof.,  on  potatoes,  285 
,  on  plants  of  Keeling 

Island,  454 
Hermit  crabs,  457 
Hill,  emitting  a  noise,  361 
Himantopus,  114 
Hogoleu  barrier-reef,  469 
Holes  made  by  a  bird,  95 
Holman  on  drifted  seeds,  454 
Holuthuriae  feeding  on  coral,  465 
Hooker,  Sir  J.,  on  the  Cardoon,  119 

,  Dr.  J.  D.,  on  the  Kelp,  239 

,  on  Galapageian 

plants,  392,  395 
Horn,  Cape,  211 
Horner,  Mr.,  on  a  calcareous  deposit, 

10 

Horse-fly,  170 
Horses  difficult  to  drive,  110 

drop  excrement  on  paths,  119 

killed  by  great  droughts,  134 

,  multiplication  of,  233 

broken  in,  151   ' 

Horse,  powers  of  swimming  of,  143 
wild  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 

191 


Horse,  fossil,  82,  130 

Horsemanship  of  the  Gauchos,  153 
195 

Hot  springs  of  Cauquenes,  263 

Huacas,  368,  370 

Humboldt  on  burnished  rocks,  1 2 

— on     the    atmosphere     in 

tropics,  32 

on  frozen  soil,  88 

on  hybernation,  98 

on  potatoes,  285 

on  earthquakes  and   raiu, 

351 

• on  miasma,  366,  435 

Humming-birds  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  32 

! of  Chile,  271 

I    Hybernation  of  animals,  98 

Hydrochserus  capybara,  49 
!    Hydrophobia,  353 
|   Hyla,  29 
j   Hymenophallus,  32 

Jackson,  Col.,  on  frozen  snow,  325 
Jaguar,  habits  of,  135 
Jajud,  mines  of,  259 
James  Island,    Galapagos  Archipe- 
lago, 376 

Juan  Fernandez,  volcano  of,  310 
,  flora  of,  392 

Ibis  melanops,  1(35 

Ice,  prismatic  structure  of,  325 

Icebergs,  187,  224,  246  to  251 

Incas'  bridge,  334,  356 

Incrustations  on  coast  rocks,  9,  12 

Indian  fossil  remains,  370 

Indians,  attacks  of,  64,  77,  129 

,  Patagouiaus,  231 

,  Araucarians,  299 

of  the  Pampas,  100 

of  Valdivia,  299 

,  perforated  stones  used  by,  267 

,  powers  of  tracking,  328 

,  grave  of,  169,  187 

,  ruins  of  houses  of,  in  Cor- 
dillera, 356,  368 

,  antiquities  of,  in  La  Plata 

46,  105 

decrease  in  numbers,  104 

Infection,  435 

Infusoria  in  dust  in  the  Atlantic,  5 

in  the  sea,  15,  162 

in  Pampas,  82, 130 

in  Patagonia,  170 


IXDEX. 


613 


Infusoria  iu  white  paint,  221 
in  coral  mud,  465 

Lichtenstein  on  ostriches,  92 
Lightning  storms,  62 

Insects,  first  colonists  of  St.  Paul's 
rocks,  10 

Lima,  365,  368 
,  elevation  of  a  river  near,  353 

of  Patagonia,  170,  327 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  238 
of  Galapagos,  381,  -392,  394 
of  Keeling  Island,  450 
of  St.  Helena,  490 
Instincts  of  birds,  95,  398 
Iodine  with  salt  at  Iquique,  365 
Iquique,  362 
Iron,  oxj^e  of.  on  rocks,  12 
Islands,  oceanic,  volcanic,  8 
,  floating,  265 
,  Antarctic,  248 
,  low,  402,  467 

Kater's  peak,  212 
Kauri  pine,  427 
Keeling  Island,  452 
.  ,  subsidence  of,  475 
birds  of  -156 

line  rock,  6 
Limnaea  in  brackish  water,  21 
Lion-ant,  442 
Lizard,  97 
—  ,  marine  species  of,  385 
Lizards,  transport  of,  382 
Llama  or  Guanaco,  habits  of,  166 
Locusts,  329 
Longevity  of  species  in  Mollusca,  83 
Lorenzo,  San,  island  of,  369 
Low  archipelago,  402 
Lund,  M.,  on  antiquity  of  man,  358 
Lund  and  Clausen  on  fossils  of  Bra- 
zil, 131,  173 
Luxan,  329 
Luxuriant  vegetation  not  necessary 
to  support  large  animals,  85 
Lycosa,  35 
Lyell,  Mr.,  on  terraces  of  Coquimbo, 

,  entomology  of,  456 
,  flora  of,  454 
Kelp,  or  sea-weed,  239 

343 

,  on  longevity  of  Mollusca, 

249 
Kingfishers,  2,  138 
King  George's  Sound,  449 

fie,  468 
,  on  change  in  vegetation, 
120 

Labourers,  condition  of,    in  Chile, 
267 
Lagoon-islands,  402,  453,  465 
Lagostomus,  124 
Lake,  brackish,  near  Rio,  21 

,  on  distribution  of  animals, 
327 
,  on  frozen  snow,  325 
,  on  extinct  mammals  and 
ice-period,  172 

.  formed  during  earthquake,  371 
Lamarck  on  acquired  blindness,  52 
Lampyris,  30 
Lancaster,  Capt,  on  a  sea-tree,  100 
Land-shells,  347,  488,  490 
Lazo,  44,  153,  189 
Leaves,  fall  of,  235 
,  fossil,  448 
Leeks   in    New   Zealand,    imported, 
428 
Lepus  Magellanicus,  193 
Lesson,  M.,  on  the  scissor-beak,  138 
.  ,  on  rabbit  of  the  Falk- 
lands,  193 
Lichen  on  loose  sand,  364 

158 
,  on  stones  twisted  by  earth- 
quakes, 308 

MacCulloch  on  infection,  435 
Macquarie  river,  442 
Macrauchenia,  82,  173 
Macrocystis,  239 
Madriua,  or  godmother  of  a  trooj<  d 
mules,  315 
Magdalen  channel,  241 
Magellan,  Strait  of,  231 
Malcolmson,  Dr.,  on  hail,  116 
Maldiva  atolls,  467,  476,  478 
Maldonado,  39 

BH1 


INDEX. 


Mammalia,  fossil,  81,  127,  130,  155, 
173,  371 
Man,  antiquity  of.  358 
,  fossil  remains  of,  370 
,  body  frozen,  249 
,  fear  of,  an  acquired  instinct, 
400 

Muniz,  Sig.,  on  niata  cattle,  145 
Murray,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  1<>1 
Mylodon,  81,  131,  155 
Myopotamus  Coipus,  287 

Negress  with  goitre,  314 
Negro,  Rio,  63,  149 

Mares  killed  for  their  hides,  1  5-t 
Mare's  flesh  eaten  by  troops,  101 
Mastodon,  127,  130 
Matter,  granular,  movements  in,  100 
Mauritius,  483 
Maypu  river,  316 
Mcgalonyx,  81,  131 
Megatherium,  81,  83,  131 
Mendoza,  climate  of,  323 

New  Caledonia,  reef  of,  469,    471, 
477 
Zealand,  417 
Niata  cattle,  145 
Noises  from  a  hill,  361 
Noses,  ceremony  of  pressing,  423 
Nothura,  45                        { 
Notopod,  crustacean,  161 
Nulliporae.  incrustations  like,  3 

Mexico,  elevation  of,  132 
Miasmata,  365,  435 
Mice  inhabit  sterile  places,  360 
,  number  of,  in  America,  49 
,  how  transported,  -288,  378 
different  on  opposite   sides  of 
Andes,  326 
of  the  Galapagos,  378 
of  Ascension,  492 
Millepora,  464 
Mills  for  grinding  ores,  266 
Mimosa;,  25 
Mimus,  54,  394,  399 
Mir.ers,  condition  of,  260,  265,  339, 
346 
Mines,  260,  340,  346 
,  how  discovered,  317 
Missionaries  at  New  Zealand,  425 
Mitchell,  Sir  T.,  on  valleys  of  Aus- 
tralia, 438 
Mocking-bird.  54,  394,  399 
Molina,  omits  description  of  certain 
birds,  271 
Molothrus,  habits  of,  52 
Monkeys  with  prehensile  tails,  28 
Monte  Video,  40,  142 
Moresby,    Capt.,  on    a  great  crab, 
463 

Octopus,  habits  of,  7 
Oily  coating  on  sea,  17 
Olfersia,  10 
Opetiorhynchus,  289 
Opuntia  Galapageia,  374 

,  261 
Orange-trees  self-sown,  120 
Ores,  gold,  266 
Ornithorhynchus,  441 
Ornithology  of  Galapagos,  378,  3'M 
Osorno,  volcano  of,  273,  275,  201 
Ostrich,  habits  of,  43,  89 
Ostrich's  eggs,  113 
Otaheite.  403 
Otter,  287 
Ova  in  sea,  1  7 
Oven-bird,  95 
Owen,  Capt.,  on  a  drought  in  Africa, 
133 
,  Professor,  on  the  Capybara.  50 

81  to  84,  130,  155 

Gallinazo,  185 
Owl  of  Pampas,  70,  125 
Oxyurus,  237,  289 
Oysters,  gigantic,  170 

Paint,  white,  221 
Pallas  on  Siberia,  67 
Palm-trees  in  La  Plata,  4fi 
in  Chile,  256 
,  south  limit  of.  244 
Pain  s  absent  at  Galapagos,  376 

Mount  Sarmiento,  233,  241 
Tarn,  234 
Mountains,  elevation  of,  312 
Movements  in  granular  matter,  100 
Mud,  chalk-like,  465 
•  disturbed  by  earthquake.  306 
Mules,  315 

INDEX. 


515 


Pampas,  number  of  embedded   re- 
mains in,  155 

Plants  of  the  Galapagos,  374,  392, 
395 

'          *             '*.       'l           1         ten        i<\* 

143 

Plata,  K.,  39 

,  view  of,  from  the  Andes,  327 
Papilio  feronia,  33 
Parana,  Kio,  126,  139,  147 

Plover,  long-legged,  1  14 
Polished  rocks,  Brazil,  12 
Polyborus  chimango,  57 

Parish,  Sir  W.,  on  the  great  drought, 
133 
Park,  Mungo,  on  eating  salt,  110 
Parrots,  138,  244 
Partridges,  45 
Pas,  fortresses  of  New  Zealand,  418 
Passes  iii  Cordillera,  334 
Pasture,    altered   from    grazing  of 
cattle,  118 
Patagoues,  64 
Patagonia,  geology  of,  1  70,  329 
,  zoology  of,   165,   170, 
179 
Patagonian  Indians,  231 
Peach-trees  self-sown,  120 
Peat,  formation  of,  286 
Pebbles  perforated,  149,  267 

Braziliensis,  55 
Ponsonby  Sound,  221 
Porpoises,  39 
Port  Desire,  1  64 
,  river  of,  107,  168 
St.  Julian,  170 
Famine,  233 
Portillo  pass,  319,  325 
Porto  Praya.  1 
Potato,  wild,  285 
Potrero  Seco,  350 
Prairies,  vegetation  of,  118 
Prevost.  M.,  on  cuckoos,  53 
Priestley,   Dr.,   on   lightning-tubes. 
59 
Procellaria  gigantea,  habits  of,  289 
Proctotretus,  97 

461 

Pelagic  animals  in  southern  ocean, 
Itil 
Penas,  Gulf  of,  246 
Penguin,  habits  of,  199 
Pepsis,  habits  of,  35 
Pernambuco,  reef  of,  498 
Pernety  on  hill  of  ruins,  196 

Protococcus  nivalis,  322 
Pteroptochos,  two  species  of,  270 
,  species  of,  278,  288 
Puente  del  Inca,  334,  356 
Puffmus  cinereus,  290                    -      . 
PufBnuria  Berardii,  291 
Puma,  habits  of,  136,  183,  269 
,  flesh  of,  117 

Peru,  362  to  371 
,  dry  valleys  of,  358,  362 
Petrels,  habits  of,  289 
Peuquenes,  pass  of,  319 
Phonolite  at  F.  Noronha,  11 
Phosphorescence  of  the  sea,  1G2 

Punta  Alta,  Bahia  Blanca,  81 
Gorda,  129,  356 
Pyrophorus  luminosus,  31 

Quadrupeds,  fossil,  81,  127,  130,  155, 
173 

.              of  laud  insects  and 
sea  animals,  3U 
Phrynisc.us,  97 
Pine  of  New  Zealand,  427 

luxuriant  vegetation,  85 
,  weight  of,  87 
Quartz  of  the  Ventana,  109 
of  Tapalguen,  1  1  6 
of  Falkland  Island   196 

202.316 
almost  horizontal  near  St.  Fe, 
127 
I'lanarise,  terrestrial  species  of,  26 

Quedius,  10 
Quillota,  valley  of,  254 
Quintero,  254 
Quinquina  Island.  303 

516 


INDEX. 


^uoy    and   Gaimard    on    stinging 
corals,  464 

Richardson,  Dr.,    on    geographical 
distribution,  131 
Rimsky  atoll,  466 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  19 
Plata,  39 
Negro,  63,  149 
Colorado,  70 
S.  Cruz,  177 
Sauce,  IOC 
Salado,  118 
Rivers,  power  of,  in  wearing  chan- 
nels, 180,  320 
River-bed,  arched,  358 
River-courses  dry  in  America,  107 
Rocks    burnished  with   ferruginous 
matter,  12 
Rodents,  number  of  in  America.  49, 
179 
,  fossil  species  of,  82 
Rosas,  General,  71,  103,  140 
Ruins  of  Callao,  309 
of  Indian  buildings  in  Cordil 
lera,  356,  368 

S.Cruz,  177 
Salado,  Rio,  118 
Salinas  at  the  Galapagos  Archipe- 
lago, 377 
•             in  Patagonia,  65,  170 
Saline  efflorescences,  78 
Salt  with  vegetable  food,  110 
,  superficial  crust  of,  364 
,  with  elevated  shells,  369 
Salt-lakes,  65,  170,  377 
Sandwich  Archipelago,  no  frogs  at. 
382 
Land,  248 
San  Pedro,  forests  of,  281 
Sand-dunes,  75 
Sand,  hot  from  sun's  rays,  at  Gala- 
pagos Archipelago,  377 
,  noise  from  friction  of,  361 
Sandstone  of  New  South  Wales,  437 
,  reef  of,  498 
Santa  Cruz,  river  of,  177 
Santiago,  Chile,  262 
Sarmiento,  Mount,  233,  241 
Sauce,  Rio,  106 
Saurophagus  sulphureus,  54 
Scarus  eating  corals,  464 
Scelidotherium,  82 
Scenery  of  Andes,  318 
Scissor-tail,  138 
Scissor-beak.  habits  of.  137 

470 

Rabbit,  wild,  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 
193 
Rain  at  Coquimbo,  338,  347,  348 
at  Rio,  29 
and  earthquakes,  351 
in  Peru,  364,  365 
in  Chile,  formerly  more  abun- 
dant, 357 

338 
Rana  Mascariensis,  382 
Rat,  only  aboriginal  animal  of  New 
Zealand,  427 
Rats  at  Galapagos,  378 
at  Ascension,  492 
at  Keeling  Island,  456 
Rattle-snake,    species    with    allied 
habit,  97 
Red  snow,  322 
Reduvius,  330 
Reef  at   Pernambuco  of  sandstone, 
498 
Reefs  of  coral,  465  to  482 
,  Barrier,  469,  476 
,  Fringing,  472 
Reeks,  Mr.,  analysis  of  salt,  66 
.,.,_,                  bones  155 

shells,  370 
Remains,  human  elevated,  370 
Remedies  of  the  Gauchos,  128 
Rengger  on  the  horse,  233 
Reptiles  absent  in  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
237 

Respiration  difficult  in  Andes,  322 
Retrospect,  50 
Revolutions  at  Buenos  Ayres,  140 
Rhinoceroses   live  in   desert  coun- 
tries, 86 
,  frozen,  89,  250 
Rhynchops  nigra,  137 
Richardson,  Dr.,  on  mice  of  North 
America,  378 

251 
,  on  frozen  soil,  88, 
248 
.in  patinff  fat.  117 

INDEX. 


517 


Scorpions,  cannibals,  165 
Scoresby,  Mr.,  on  effects   of  snow 
on  rocks.  318 
Scrope,  Mr.,  on  earthquakes,  352 
Scytalopus  fuscus,  237,  289 
Sea,  open,  inhabitants  of,  162 
,  phosphorescence  of,  1  62 
,  distant  noise  of,  295 
Sea-pen,  habits  of,  99,  202 
Sea-weed,  growth  of,  239 
Seals,  number  of,  284 
Seeds  transported  by  sea,  392,  454 
Serpulse,  protecting  reef,  498 
Shark  killed  by  Diodon,  14 
Shaw,  Dr.,  on  lion's  flesh,  116 
Sheep,  infected,  436 
Shelley,  lines  on  Mont  Blanc,  1  68 
Shells,  land,  in  great  numbers,  347 
S  at  St.  Helena,  488 
Shells,  fossil,  of  Cordillera,  321 
of  Galapagos,  390 
elevated,   83,    130,   171,    254, 
344,  369 
•  ,  tropical   forms  of,  far  south, 
243 
,  decomposition  of,  with  salt,  369 
Shepherd's  dogs,  149 
Shingle-bed  of  Patagonia,  75,  171 
Siberia  compared  with  Patagonia,  67 
,  zoology  of,  related  to  North 
America,  132 
Siberian  animals,  how  preserved  in 
ice,  250 

Society,  state  of,  in  Australia,  443 

Archipelago,  ^-j       .c     * 

nomenaat,  475,  481 
Soda,  nitrate  of,  362 
,  sulphate  of,  78 
Soil,  frozen,  88,  248 
Spawn  on  surface  of  sea,  1  7 
Species,  distribution  of,  131,  363 
,  extinction  of,  17* 
Spiders,  habits  of,  35—38 
,  gossamer,  159 
killed  by  and  killing  wasps 
35  to  37 

Springs,  hot,  263 
Stevenson,  Mr.,  ou  growth  of  sea- 
weed, 239 
Stinging  animals,  464 
St.  Helena,  486 
,  introduction  of  spirits 
into,  412 
—  Fe'.  129 
—  Jago,  C.  Verds,  1 
,  unhealthiness  of,  366 
—  Jago,  Chile,  262 
—  Maria,  elevated,  307,310 
—  Paul's  rocks,  8 
Stones  perforated,  149,  267 

Storm,  217,  281 
in  Cordillera,  324,  360 
Streams  of  stones  at  Falkland  Islands, 
197 
Strongylus,  32 
Struthio  Rhea.  43,  89 

ing  their  existence,  89 
Silicified  trees,  333,  353 
Silurian  formations  at  Falkland  Is- 
lands, 196 
Si  lurus,  habits  of,  136 
Skunks,  80 
Slavery,  20,  24,  499 
Smelling  power  of  carrion-hawks, 
184 
Smith,  Dr.  Andrew,  on  the  support 
of  large  quadrupeds,  85 

Strzelecki,  Count,  448 
Suadiva  atoll,  466 
Subsidence  of  coral  reefs,  467  to  482 
of  Keeling  Island,  475 

of  Cordillera   3°1    333 

of  Coasts  of  Chilv,  ,'H4 

pebbles,  149 
Snake,  venomous,  96 
Snow-line  on  Cordillera,  244,  322, 
325 
Enow,  effects  of  on  rocks,  318 
.  ,  prismatic  structure  of,  325 
,  red,  322 
Society,  state  cf  in  La  Plata,  41,  157 

of  Vanikoro,  475 
of  cora1-  reefs  great  in 
amount,  479 
,  cause  of  distinctness  in 
Tertiary  epochs,  344 
Sulphate  of  lime,  66,  171,  369 
soda      incrusting      the 
ground.  78 

CIS 


INDEX. 


Sulphate   of  soda     with     common 
salt.  66,  369 
Swainson,  Mr.,  on  cuckoos,  53 
Sydney,  431 

Tabanus,  1  70 
Tahiti  (Otaheite),  403 
,  three  zones  of  fertility,  406 
Talcahuano,  302 
Tambillos,  Ruinas  de,  356 
Tameness  of  birds,  398 
Tapacolo  and  Turco,  270 
Tapalguen,  Sierra,  flat  hills  of  quartz, 
116 
Tarn,  Mount,  234 
Tasmania,  446 
Tattooing.  404,  426 
Temperance  of  the  Tahitians,  41  1 
Temperature  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and 
Falkland  Islands,  242 

Transport  of  stones  in  roots  of  trees, 
461 

banks  of  the  St.  Cruz  river,  180 
Travertin  with  leaves  of  trees,  Van 
Diemen's  Land,  448 
Tree-ferns,  southern  limits  of,  244 

Trees,  absence  of,  in  Pampas,  46 
,  floating,  transport  stones,  461 
silicitied,  vertical,  332 
,  size  of,  353 
,  time  required  to  rot,  301 
Tres  Montes,  282 
Trichodesmium,  14 
Trigonocephalus,  96 
Tristan  d'Acunha,  399,  45G 
Trochilus,  271 
Tropical  scenery,  495 
Tschudi,  M.,  on  subsidence,  369 
Tubes,  siliceous,  formed  by  lightning, 
59 
Tucutuco,  habits  of,  50 
—  —  ,  fossil  species  of,  82 
Tuff,  craters  of,  373 
,  Infusoria  in,  494 
Tupungato,  volcano  of,  324 
Turco,  El,  270 
Turkey  buzzard.  58,  184,  284 
Turtle,  manner  of  catching,  459 
Type  of  organization  in  Galapagos 
islands.  American,  393 
Types    of  organization  in  different 
countries,  constant,  173 
Tyranuus,  138 

Ulloa  on  hydrophobia,  353 
on  Indian  buildings,  357 
Unaniie,  Dr.,  on  hydrophobia,  353 
Uruguay,  Rio,  139,  147 

Tercero,  Rio,  fossils  in  banks  of,  127 
Terraces  in  valleys  of  Cordillera,  315 

Tertiary  formations  of  the  Pampas, 
81,  129,  155 

329 

of,  344 
Teru-tero,  habits  of,  114 
Testudo,  habits  of,  382,  394 
Theory  of  lagoon-  islands,  472 
Theristicus,  165 
Thistle  beds,  119,  124,  148 
Thunder-storms,  62 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  204  to  251 
,  climate  and  vege- 
tation of,  242 

,  zoo  ogy  °^- 

Bizcacha,  124 
Uspallata  range  and  pass,  331 

Vacas,  Rio,  333 
Valdivia,  297 
,  forests  of,  298,  301 
Valley  of  St.  Cruz,  Low  excavated, 
181 
,  dry,  at  Copiapo,  355 
Valleys,  excavation  of,  in  Chile,  815, 
355 
of  Tahiti.  408,  412 

..  in  rnrHiltpTrt    31  *t 

Tinamus  rufescens,  113 
Tinochorus  Eschscholtzii,  94 
Toad,  habits  of,  97 
not  found  in  oceanic  islands, 
381 
Torrents  in  Cordillera,  316,  321 
Tortoise,  habits  of,  382,  394 
Toxodon,  82,  127,  130,  155 
Transparency  of  air  in  Andes,  325 

Transport  of  seeds,  392,  454 

..  nf  hnnlilr-ri     19"     <>.(  7 

INDEX. 


819 


Valleys  of  New  South  Wales,  437 
Valparaiso,  252,  313 

Waves,  caused  by  full  of  ice,  224, 
246 

Vapour  from  forests,  24 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  446 
Vanellus  Cayanus,  114 
Vanessa,  flocks  of,  158 
Vanikoro,  469,  471,  475 
Vegetation  of  St.  Helena,  changes  of, 
489 
on  opposite*sides  of  Cor- 
dillera, 326 
,  luxuriant,  not  necessary 
to  support  large  animals,  85 
Ventana,  Sierra,  107 
Verbena  melindres,  40 
Villa  Vicencio,  331 
Virgularia  Patagonica,  99,  202 
Volcanic  bombs,  493 

Weather,    connection    with   earth- 
quakes, 351 
Weather-board,  N.  S.  Wales,  437 
Weeds  in  New  Zealand,   imported. 
392,  428 
Weight  of  large  quadrupeds,  87 
Wellington,  Mount,  448 
Welis,  ebbing  and  flowing,  458 
at  Iquique,  364 
West  Indies,  banks  of,  439 
,  coral  reefs  of,  472,  480 
,  zoology  of,  132 
Whales,  oil  from,  17 
leaping  out  of  water,  223 
White,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  35 
Wigwams  of  Fuegians,  212 

phenomena,  31  1 
Volcanos  near  Chiloe,  273,  275,  291, 
310 

ders,  435 
Winds,  dry,  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  231 
at  the  Cape  Verds,  3 
cold  on  Cordillera,  360 

'  "}cir  presence  atterninica 

Vulturaura,  58,  184,  284 

Waders,  first  colonists  of  distant  is- 
lands, 380 
Waimate,  New  Zealand,  421 
Walckenaer  on  spiders,  38 
Walleechu  tree,  68 
Wasps  preying  on  spiders  and  killed 
by,  35—38 
Water-hog,  49 
Water,  sold  at  Iquique,  362 
,  fresh,  floating  on  salt,  39, 
458 
Waterhouse,  Mr.,  on  Rodents,  49,  378 

Winter's  Bark,  235,  281 
WolfattheFalklands,  193 
Wood,  Capt.,  on  the  Agouti,  70 
Woollya,  221 

Yaquil,  265 
Yeso,  Valledel,  319 
York  Minster,  208 

Zonotrichia,  52 
Zoological  provinces  of  N.  and  S 
America,  131 
Zoology  of  Galapagos,  377 
of  Keeling  Island,  456 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  236 

146 

of  Chonos  Islands,  287 
of  St  Helena,  490 

erra  del  Fuego,  238 
ofGnla 

Zoophytes,  99 
at  Falkl?irl  ivi^.  «m 

ragos,  381,  392 

Zorillc,  or  skunk,  80 

THE  END. 


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